Shadows of Destiny
by MystikDream
Summary: 2nd season fic, a Bryn/Sinbad fic. Bryn doesn't remember her past, but why? And what exactly is hidden in her past? Would it be better if she didn't remember? Plz R&R.
1. Consequences

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Part One ~ Consequences**

The future. It never can be predicted, because it's always moving. It's the unknown and what's unknown can sometimes be scary. Even if it can be controlled in a certain way, a part of the future will always remain unknown. They say the future is a continually of the past. But the past can never come back, right? Because it's over… But sometimes, some events from the past can come back to the surface and change everything. So, be always wary of your past.

I don't remember my past. Not only I don't know what might happen in the future, but I also have no idea what happened before. Scary… Because, who knows what happened…One day, everything could re-appear and maybe the past should have stayed silent. Forever.

~*~*~

Bryn stood on a mountain, watching the waves of the sea and listening to their sweet whispers. They were telling her to run away, to run far, far away from this island, but she didn't hear them, didn't understand they were talking to her. She was lost in her thoughts, thinking about the man that was haunting her every night dreams. The captain of the ship she was sailing on, the handsome and courageous Sinbad. 

She laughed softly, and turned around to give him a quick look. He was about ten meters away from her, joking with his brother. He doesn't know how fast her heart beats when he was near her. He doesn't know how her legs shake when he smiles at her. He doesn't know how she feels when he looks to her with his blue eyes. She feels lost when she is looking into those eyes. He doesn't know how she feels when she was just looking at his muscular body. He has no idea of her feelings for him and she doesn't want him to know. It would just ruin a great friendship.

Damn her if he ever finds out about her feelings. She never wants him to know, never. He's the man women would kill their mother to pass an evening with. He's gentle, strong, courageous, and so handsome...he can have every girl he wants, and it's certainly not her. Why would he be interested in someone like her anyway? Right, he kissed her. It had been the most wonderful thing that happened in her life. But it meant nothing to him. He kissed lots of women. She was just another one amongst the others.

She sighed and gave a last look at the navy blue sea, then walked back to the others. They meant everything to her. She couldn't imagine living without them now, and it was because of this that sometimes Bryn wishes she wouldn't get her memories back. She had a feeling deep inside that if she does get them back, she could lose them forever, and it's the last thing Bryn wants to happen. Bryn still remembers Scratch words: "I'm surprised you're with these do-gooders. A girl with your pedigree?" What did he mean by that? Honestly, she didn't want to know.

She shook her head to get rid of those dark thoughts and turned her attention to the crew, who was now smiling at her, and she forced a smile back.

"Hey Bryn! We thought you would watch the sea forever," Doubar welcomed her, a big smile on his face. 

Bryn smiled to him in return. "Yeah. The landscape is great. I couldn't stop myself from watching it. Anyway, what are we doing now? Are we staying here for the night?"

Glancing at her, Sinbad frowned. He had sensed her look on him earlier. He was wondering what she was thinking about. She seemed almost depressed on that cliff, looking at the sea. In fact, if he remembers correctly, it had been awhile since she got **that** look on her face. It started just after they set sail after the confrontation with Scratch. He'd ask her later if she wanted to talk about it. "No, I suggest we go to the village we passed through and ask at the tavern if they have some rooms. I'm pretty sure it will be raining tonight, so a room would be better than a tent," Sinbad finally answered, looking at her with his blue eyes that were smiling in return at her.

At Sinbad's proposition, everyone agreed and started to get ready to leave. They soon took the path to the village in silence, Sinbad in lead. The sound of boots crunching on underbrush and twigs echoed in the deep forest. 

Rongar and Firouz were closing the lead. The physician was babbling about some kind of a rock he discovered near the cliff. Rongar, next him, tried his best to look interested by the subject. He sometimes wished his friend knew when to talk and when to remain silent. Now was a good time to remain silent.

Bryn was behind Sinbad and her eyes couldn't look anywhere, but him. She blushed, and was happy no one could see her. He was so...so...so everything a woman could dream of. She wanted him to touch her, to kiss her with passion, to...

So lost in her thoughts that she was, Bryn didn't see the medium-sized rock on the ground. She was too focused on Sinbad that she stumbled over the rock and she started to fell on the ground. Bryn groaned in pain, when she hit the ground. Her head knocked on the rock and then, nothing.

"Bryn!" Doubar shouted as he was just behind her and saw her fall. He ran to the brown-haired woman.

When Doubar screamed Bryn's name, Sinbad immediately turned around to see what happened. Bryn was lying on the ground, blood flowed on her forehead. He wanted to kneel near to her, but his legs didn't want to obey him.

"Don't move her, we never know," Firouz answered, as he took her pulse.

Sinbad couldn't make a move. He was watching the scene, horrified. He couldn't speak a word. All he could do was watch Bryn. She was very pale and bleeding heavily from her head and her ankle seemed swollen. She wasn't conscious. 

"She's breathing, but her pulse...We should bring her to the village fast. She hit her head hard and her ankle is probably broken. I don't think there's any danger to carry her," Firouz explained rapidly.

Finally able to make a move, Sinbad took Bryn in his arms before anyone could do something. He gently removed her hair from her face. "Let's go, we have no time to lose." 

*~*~*~*

In one of the tavern's room, Bryn was lying, on the bed, Sinbad at her side. It had been three days since they brought her in the village and she hadn't woken up yet. 

After a soft knock on the door, Doubar entered in the room, with some food. "Hey. I thought you might be hungry." He presented to his brother a basket of fruits. "That's all I could find in the market," he apologized. 

Sinbad gave him a little smile. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry. I don't feel like eating. But you can go ahead and eat them. I can feel you're dying too," he added. He then returned to silence. 

"If you don't eat, then you should sleep. It has been three days you haven't closed your eyes. It's bad for you, little brother." Doubar was worried about him. He looked...awful. There were black rings under his eyes and he passed his hands through his hair many times. He never saw his brother like that. He hated it. Even if his brother was trying to make him think he was fine by joking around, Doubar wasn't buying any of it. Sinbad could be good at acting sometimes. But Doubar knew him too well.

"I'm not sleepy. I can't sleep. Listen, I know you're worried about me. I understand and I thank you, but...I'm feeling so helpless. The least I can do is to stay with her, holding her hand, be there. If she dies..."

"She won't die. She's strong and she will fight, I know she will. But you...if you refuse to eat or sleep, you won't be in any condition to help her when she'll wake up. . And when she will wake up, how do you think Bryn will react when she'll see you didn't eat or sleep because of her?" Doubar knew he had gone a little too far, but it was the only way. "I'll stay with her while you rest, okay?" 

Sinbad didn't have any other choice; so, he left the room and went to his. He lay on the bed, thinking it would take hours before he would fall asleep, but as soon as he put his head on the pillow, he fell asleep.

*~*~*~*

He was near a cliff. He advanced closer to the edge and looked down. The sound of waves entered his mind and it was all he heard. It was peaceful. Too peaceful. It was at that moment he saw a face forming on the sea. She seemed to be talking to him. "What? I don't hear you!" He screamed.

The sea laughed. "Sinbad...come to me...come...jump and come to me...so we could be together forever...come...together forever…"

"Who are you?? What do you want?" Sinbad heard himself spoke the words, but his mouth remained closed. The face seemed to smirk at him and was distorted a moment by the high waves. Then, the sea returned to calm and the face was laughing at him.

"Sinbad!" The voice screamed and Sinbad recognized the voice. The voice seemed to smile. "I told you you'd be famous someday. Remember? We wanted to get married...but you forgot me. You forgot everything about me! You let me die!"

"Lea...I...I couldn't swim, and...I hadn't forgot about you."

"Liar!" 

He didn't know how, but Lea was now standing next to him, a look of hatred on her

face. But before he could place a word, another person appeared at his right. Maeve.

"Why didn't you take my hand, Sinbad? Why? Because of that, I'm stuck in this horrible place, because of you! It wasn't that hard to take my hand! You saved a lot of people, but you couldn't save me. You didn't want to save me, you already forgot about me, right? Everyone forgot about me now," she yelled, the same look as Lea mirrored on her face. 

"You let us, die, Sinbad, you let us die, die, die..." they chanted over and over again. "You let us die…"

*~*~*~*

Sinbad woke up and sat on the bed. Sweat ran down his forehead, mixed with tears. He sighed and started to walk around his room. What does that dream mean? He wiped his face with his shirt. He never forgot about Lea. Why would she think he did? And Maeve…he tried to save her. He really did. But Dim Dim said she was in a safe place. It was just an horrible nightmare. Just a nightmare. He took a deep breath and got out of his room and went to Bryn's room. 

Darkness filled in the small room, but Sinbad could still see Bryn's pale face. He always thought that unconscious people looked peaceful, but not Bryn. She seemed scared. So fragile. Sinbad was afraid that if he held her hand, it would break in thousand pieces. Tiredly, he passed a hand in his hair and sat on the bed, near her. Time seemed to have stopped. He just entered, but he felt he had stayed there all day and night. Doubar, Firouz and Rongar must be all asleep in their rooms right now.

Carefully, he took her hand in his. It was so small and sweet. Suddenly, he felt the need to talk to her. She probably couldn't hear him, but at least, the silence that was now driving him crazy would be broken. He cleared his throat. "Hey Bryn." He paused. "It's me, Sinbad." Another pause. "I…It feels strange to talk to you knowing you can't answer and probably can't hear. Firouz says you can, but I-I'm not sure." His fingers slowly caressed hers. "I just feel like talking to you. It always helped me to feel better." He closed his eyes one moment to bring order in his thoughts. "I-We missed you. It's not the same without you. I know it's not like you're gone forever…"

He let go of her hand. "You've been a good friend to everyone. You're Bryn and that's why everyone likes you so much." His hand moved to her hair. His fingers combed her long brown hair, careful not to touch the white bandage around her forehead. "But to me, you're not just Bryn." His voice lowered to a whisper. "You're much more than a friend."

He closed his eyes. And silently prayed.

~*~*~

Blink. Darkness. A dark tunnel. She was in a dark tunnel that didn't seem to have an end. It seems she was pushed by some invisible force to a specific direction. Bryn wanted to look back, just for a second, to see what was behind her, but her head refused to obey the command she was giving it. She then decided to continue in this direction. She was too tired to ask questions and to think.

Bryn sighed. The silence was making her uncomfortable. It seems that even she couldn't make a noise. 'When is it going to end?' A thought that repeated itself in her mind over and over again. She was tired. She began to walk faster. She now could feel the end of the tunnel coming. Bryn didn't care about what was at the end. She just **needed** to go there. 'I'm almost there. Just a few more steps to go.'

Hard wind started to blow. A sensation of death entered in her body. But Bryn didn't care. The end was near. She would soon stop walking. 

For the first time she arrived here, Bryn smiled.

~*~*~

The next morning, Doubar entered in the room and was surprise to find his brother by the side of the bed, holding Bryn's hand. "Little brother? I thought you went to get some sleep?"

"I did. But I came back."

Doubar sighed. His brother could be so stubborn sometimes! "You want something to eat?" Doubar said, pointing to some food on the table. 

Sinbad eyed the food and his stomach ordered him to eat. "Yeah. I'm hungry," he said with surprise. He started to eat with appetite. He was almost done when Firouz entered in the room. 

"We should talk to her. Maybe she would wake up faster if she heard our voices. There's nothing else to do, than talk to her and wait," Firouz said. He sat on a near chair and put his head in his hands.

"You look tired. Maybe you should get some sleep," Doubar suggested.

Rongar entered in the room, silently and sat on the ground, near Firouz, Dermott on his shoulder.

Firouz smiled to Rongar and then, turned to Doubar. "No, I'm fine."

"How long will it take before she wakes up?" Sinbad asked.

"No one can tell. It can takes days, weeks, years even. Or she can never wake up...but it doesn't happen often." He passed one hand on his face. 

"I hope she won't take years. I don't want to stay in that place for that long," Doubar joked. The smile on his face vanished as no one laughed. "I'm sorry....just trying to bring a smile on your faces." He leaned against the wall, feeling terrible. How could he think of joking at a time like this? Fighting for your life wasn't funny. 'I'm going to have to control what I'm saying,' Doubar thought, before sitting on the floor, hugging in legs with his arms. 

"It's ok, Doubar," Sinbad simply said. He looked to Bryn and opened his eyes wider. Her hand was moving. "Guys...she moved." He jumped on his feet and sat on the bed. "Bryn? Bryn, can you hear me? It's Sinbad."

"Wake up, Bryn...wake up," Firouz whispered.

Doubar sighed. Poor girl. For over a year that she had traveled with them, she always had been smiling, always ready for a good fight when necessary. He had watched her and Sinbad grew closer by the time. Honestly, he wasn't sure what his brother would do if Bryn died. And he didn't want to find out. "Wake up, Bryn," Doubar repeated, louder. 

~*~*~

Bryn heard the voices, that seemed so far, but they sounded gentle, so she went in their direction. They were calling her name and telling her to wake up. 'I'm not sleeping, I'm awake', she thought. She saw lights near, but she suddenly stopped. She felt good here. It was calm, dark, but calm. Why would she want to leave? 'But I'm tired of being alone.' She decided to go in the lights and follows the voices. 'I won't be alone now!'

Bryn opened her eyes. The first thing she felt was a terrible headache. Then, when her vision started to get better, she noticed the four faces looking at her.

"Bryn!" They all shouted together. Then, they all started to talk in the same time.

"I'm so glad you're awake! You scared the hell of us, girl!"

"Glad you're back! We missed you!"

"You can't imagine how happy I am you're alive!"

Bryn looked them, confused. 

"Bryn...are you alright?" Sinbad asked, as he saw the look in her face. He frowned, wondering what was going on. She seemed almost…uncomfortable. "Bryn?"

Bryn looked him, then all of them, a puzzled look in her brown eyes. "Who the hell are you?"

Tbc…


	2. Gone in the rain

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all right reserved and so on

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all right reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright infringement is in any way intended or desired.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part Two ~ Gone in the Rain

Not knowing who we are…Only a dark hole. We can always feel certain things about ourselves. Feelings about certain people or places. But how to really know? Impossible to trust anyone at all…even if deep in our heart, we'd want to. Frustration. Anger. Regret. Our memory is so important to us. So it is normal to try as hard as possible to try to remember.

And what if it was best **not** to remember? If what we found isn't what we thought we would find? What if we wished to never have found it? It would be too late to turn back in time…But we cannot know unless we try. We wait. We hope. If a part comes back to us, should we stop searching or keep going until everything's back? But…can we know ourselves completely? Things will maybe stay hidden forever. Probably for the best.

~*~*~

The rest of the crew of the Nomad stared at Bryn, speechless. Never they imagined those would be the words she'd say. They all first thought she was kidding, but by the look on her face, they soon realized she was very serious, and scared as well. She just stood there, watching them with her brown-chocolate eyes, not sure what to do. They could feel she didn't trust them at all and searched in their heads what to do to make her feel more comfortable. 

Finally, Sinbad decided to say something. The silence was making him nervous. "Bryn...you really don't know who we are? Just…tell me what's the last thing you remember," Sinbad asked, anxious to know the answer. What are they going to do if she doesn't remember them? Starting all over what they started one year ago? Sinbad sighed, but he knew he would do it if it was necessary. Without hesitation, he would start all over again.

"I'm...I'm not sure...I just remember my name. Bryn. That's all...The rest is just blank…and I have no clue who you are," she answered, observing them all. She noticed the sadness in the man's eyes, in everyone's eyes to be exact, but in that man, it was more, and she didn't understand it. What she knew is those people really cared for her and she immediately felt she could trust them. She had that feeling inside her...which made her feel safe. She didn't understand where it came from, or why it was there. But she didn't want to understand it. It was just good. She wanted to hang on to that feeling and never let go. "But...you could tell me more, so maybe I could remember something."

Sinbad looked to everyone else, and they all agreed. "Sure...so I'm Sinbad. This is Doubar, my big brother, Firouz, Rongar and Dermott. I'm the Captain of the Nomad. We met about one year ago on an island and you joined my crew. You knew nothing of your past, only your name, as now..." He stopped. He felt strange telling her those things about herself. 

Doubar nodded. "You also have magic. I mean...natural magic. From the fourth elements, but you don't control them very well," Doubar added. "But I'm sure you'll control them soon!" he continued, smiling at her gently. "We don't know anything about your past...just what you knew when we met you!" 

Bryn smiled back at him, shyly. "Thanks...but I still don't remember anything. I just hope I will soon." She yawned. "I'm...I'm a little bit tired...Could...you...leave me, so I could sleep?" she asked, uncomfortable. They all understood and left, saying her goodbye. Sinbad was the last one the pass the door, and she saw he wasn't sure if he had to leave or not. But he finally decided to leave, and Bryn sighed, relieved. As far as she trusted them, she had a little doubt inside of her. What if they tried to trick her so they could do...whatever they want? Maybe they were lying, how could she be sure? She really wanted hard to believe them, but...she couldn't. She just couldn't. She didn't want to build her hopes up so that they would crash down later. 

Bryn sighed and fell on the bed, her arms crossed behind her head. Maybe she had something they wanted...or maybe they wanted to use her magic to have something...Maybe she was evil, and they wanted to kill her. She shook her head, grimacing. They would already have killed her if that's what they wanted. Bryn didn't know what to think anymore. Their faces were honest and they seemed to truly care about her. How could she find out who they really were and what were their intentions? 

After thinking more than an hour, she found nothing, only that she wanted to have her memories back as soon as possible. This situation was driving her crazy! So she decided to try to sleep. 'Everything will be fine tomorrow', she thought, and she fell immediately asleep, this thought in her mind.

~*~*~

The next morning, a soft rain was falling on the little village, and the sun decided to hide for the rest of the day. Everyone seemed depressed and sullen. The crew was sitting at a table of the inn, feeling as depressed as everyone else. They didn't have anything else to do. It wasn't possible to leave the town because of the weather condition.. Neither of them talked, and they kept their eyes down. They didn't know if they were feeling down because of the rain, or because Bryn seemed hostile to them. She didn't talk to them, nor look at them, and no one understood why. Yesterday, she seemed to trust them, but now...

Sinbad felt more than sad inside of him. He felt anger against himself, pain, despair...and even more. Loneliness. He had time during the day to analyze all of his feelings, and he still didn't understand. He just didn't want to admit the true. He tried to hide it, but it was still there. He always tried to hide it, every time in his life. 

He got up of his chair, and got out of the inn, without saying any word to his friends. Without even noticing the rain, he began to walk to the forest. All those nightmares about Lea, Maeve, Dim Dim, Talia, his parents, his friends and now Bryn drove him crazy. He thought only about them and wondered why he kept having those dreams. He believed all dreams have a meaning...Every nights, those dreams came haunting him since Bryn had her accident, and he didn't see why. Why now and why not before? And mostly, why because of that? He for sure did horrible things since one year now, and he never had dreams about everyone he killed, everyone's heart he broke...

The rain still fell on him, and all his clothes he was soaking wet but he didn't mind. He didn't noticed. He even didn't though of returning to the village. He just wanted to walk and walk far away from everything. Just walking straight ahead, without a look back. So he walked for hours under the cold rain in the dark and never-ending forest, not knowing where he was going. Not that he cared. When the night fell, he was still walking in the forest, but he had no longer enough energy to walk, so he sat on the wet ground, near a tree. What sense had his life now? He had become a monster since one year now...He didn't understand why his crew was still loyal to him after all he did. He sighed. Why was he feeling so...sad and so depressed? It wasn't him at all. 

~*~*~

He was back on that same cliff, still looking down, as if he wanted to jump. This time, Lea and Maeve were next to him, one on each side. They were smiling at him, but the smile was cold, unhappy. "Why?" he simply asked, as he looked at the furious sea, ravaging the rocks with its cruel waves.

"Why? You ask why?" Lea shouted, gripping his wrists painfully. "Sinbad, you can have all the women of this world. But you didn't really care about us, you didn't care about any of those women. But WE cared. We loved you! I loved you so much, Sinbad...You were my childhood best friend and my first love…and you just let me die…You let me die. And now you don't ever think about me! Like I was totally gone..." She held her tears and breathed. She let go of his wrists and hugged herself. "You know, we continue to live in a way because of the people's thoughts about us. If no one think about us, we disappeared. You're the only one alive who knew me, and you don't think about me enough to keep me alive! Is it too much to ask?" She screamed, anger filling in her. She suddenly turned back and walked away.

Maeve nodded. "The dead people live in another dimension, where they can start a new kind of live. The only thing that kept them here is thoughts. When no one love them, they die...It's happening to Lea currently. You let her die once, Sinbad. Don't let her die twice."

"Don't let her twice, don't let her die twice, twice, twice...." the echo repeated.

~*~*~

Sinbad woke up in a start. He looked around him, disorientated. The forest. He wasn't in a bed, but on the ground, leaned against a tree. His back hurt, as well as every other part of his body. He yawned and was about to get up when it came back to him. He remembered his dream and Maeve's word. He didn't understand. He was still thinking of Lea a lot. Well, maybe not as much as before since one year, but still...If this time he could save her, he would. Yes, he would. 

He then decided to return to the village. The others must be worried now. He just had made a few steps when his rainbow bracelet began to shine. He started at it, and after a moment, he began to run. If something happened to Bryn.... 

Running made him feel a little better, and his bracelet soon stopped to shine, so he decided to slow down. He was half way when he recognized his brother who was walking to him. He smiled and waved his hand. "Hey, Doubar! What are you doing here?" he asked, innocently.

"Sinbad! Thank Allah you're here! You worried us much, you know...What were you thinking? Going away like that, without telling us...Where did you go and what were you doing under that rain?" Doubar asked, in his big brother tone of voice he used to reprimand his younger brother. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't. He was too happy to see his brother. "You could've catch a cold."

"I just needed some time to think, that's all," he answered, giving a comforting smile to his brother. "You don't have to worry about me all the time, Doubar. I can take care of myself," he said to his brother softly.

Doubar sighed. "I know. But…you're the only family I have left and I just don't know what I'd do if something happened to you." He hoped he didn't sound too pathetic. And it didn't matter if Sinbad could take care of himself and if he was a man, he was still his little brother in Doubar's eyes. He would always be.

Sinbad put a reassuring arm around his brother's neck. "Nothing's going to happen to me. I intend to stay in the living world for at least another couple of years, you with me." He smiled when he saw that his words seemed to have calmed down Doubar. He then frowned. "Tell me...did something happen to Bryn? Because my bracelet shone..." He watched Doubar's expression, and was relieved to see his smile.

"She just fainted, but she's now resting in her room. Come on, let's get back to the village. I'm sure you're hungry!" Doubar declared, laughing. They walked back to the village silently, listening to the peaceful sound of the leaves moving at the wind's rhythm. Awhile after, they arrived in the village and found Firouz, waiting for them. He seemed nervous, scared and...terrified. 

"You're back! Finally! Bryn's gone! They took her. Rongar and I tried to stop them, but they were too strong! I don't know what they want to do, or who they are! What are we going to do?" Firouz cried, almost hysterical. 

Rongar came behind him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He didn't understand either what happened. Firouz and he were playing cards in the room next to Bryn when they heard noise, and voices. It wasn't Bryn's, so they decided to check it out, and they saw five men, all in black, taking her away, by the window. When he tried to stop them, one of them zapped them, and the second after, they disappeared. 

"Firouz, calm down...I'm sure we'll find her. She can't be too far. Just tell us what exactly happened," Doubar calmly asked, taking the control of the situation, seeing that Sinbad was too affected to say anything. After listening to Firouz's story, Doubar decided to talk to the owner of the inn. Maybe he knew something...

The inn's owner was an old man, who lived alone in his house. He listened carefully at Doubar and Firouz's story and the memory of what his parents once told them got back to him. He looked up at the crew. "They were all in black, huh? They were probably men from the army of Karpan. He's a powerful magician, living at the opposite side of this island. But I don't know why he would kidnap your young friend. He had been very quiet over the past years. No one had heard of him since years."

~*~*~*~*~

Bryn moaned and opened her eyes, only to see darkness. She closed them, wishing that when she will open them again, the darkness will be gone. But it didn't. She didn't even see a little piece of light. She put her cold hands on her forehead. Slowly, she regained full consciousness. Where was she? She laid on her back, on something soft...and sliding. When she tried to bend her leg to the top, her feet slid immediately to its original position. Bryn lifted up her other leg, without bending her knee this time, till her feet touched something, like a wall above her. That wall seemed hard. In wood maybe. She pushed it with her feet, but the wall didn't move. Bryn pushed again with all the energy she got. Nothing. She touched it with her hands and she could swore it was wood. 

Where was she? What was she doing in that darkness? She couldn't remember what happened. The last thing she remembered was...Sinbad leaving the inn...What happened next? She didn't have an answer. She sighed and continued her exploration. She didn't have much space between her and the wall next to her. Not very much space...impossible to get out...not much air...Immediately, Bryn's breath got faster. 'Calm down, calm down, Bryn. You must find where you are, and then, you'll think of something,' she said to herself, trying to slow her breath.

Where was she? What the hell happened? She tried to remember...Sinbad left. After, Doubar and Firouz continued to talk, but she wasn't listening...After a while, she suddenly felt strange inside...She fainted! She woke up in her bed...and there were those strange guys all in black. They knocked her on the head...and when she woke up, only darkness welcomed her. Her head was aching like hell and she breathed hardly. Her hands began to search in hope to find the way out, just so she could breathe as usual. It was so small, so dark and so restricted. Bryn knew she was beginning to be hysterical. She wasn't controlling her breath and her lungs were about to explode. If only she knew where she was...

She sighed and tried to control her breath. Then, she started to kick the wall above her. Nothing moved, so she tried to kick all the walls around her, as hard as she could, again and again, but neither moved a bit. She lay in a long and restricted box, completely closed and she just knew one thing. She needed to breathe. There must be a way out. There's always a solution to every problems! She tried to get up, but her head hit the wall. She cried in pain. 

Isn't there someone who would come and save her? If only she didn't acted hostile with Sinbad and his friends...but...what if it was them, the men who knocked her off and brought her in that place? 'No, it's not them. It can't be them.' Suddenly, her mind showed her a picture of her, on a ship, with Sinbad, Doubar, Firouz, Rongar and Dermott around her. They were all smiled, even herself. "It...it can only be a flashback. That means...that means there weren't lying. It wasn't them! But who was it? And where the hell I am?" she screamed the last words, but no one answered. 

So, she was in a box. A long and restricted box, with something soft, which seemed like satin to her. It was made of wood, it was small...If she entered in that thing, it's because there was a way out somewhere. Maybe it was locked. She opened her eyes wide. It couldn't be...no...the first image that came to her mind was....a coffin...

Tbc…


	3. The Beginning of the end

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: Thanks for everyone who sent me reviews. I love them! And I'm glad you're enjoying my story. ;)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part Three ~ The Beginning of the End

The joy is often short-lasted. We are happy, everything's going well, until…Until everything turns up-side down. The situation now changes. Why can't life always be beautiful? It would be so much easier for everyone! 

Even without my memory, I was happy. I found friends, a family. I had something good to do with my life. Is it now all going to change?

~*~*~

Sinbad looked up to Doubar. "I think we should go visit that man, Karpan. We have to save Bryn, and the only way is to go to his castle." He turned to the inn's owner. "Is it far away from here?" he asked.

The inn's owner thought a minute before answering. "It takes some hours, if you walk rapidly. You have to follow the right path of the forest all the way. But it's impossible to enter in the castle." He paused, to make a better effect. "There's no door."

Firouz frowned. "No door? Impossible. How does he enter in his own castle if there isn't a door? And how does his army do?" Firouz shook his head. No door...he almost wanted to laugh, but the situation wasn't funny at all. 

The old man shrugged, a hidden smile on his rugged face. "I don't know, but I am sure there's no door like I'm sure there's a door to my inn. Don't believe me if you want, but you'll see when you'll get there."

Sinbad sighed. "Thanks. But we really have to go there. Our friend's life is maybe in danger." Sinbad saluted the man and got out of the inn, followed by his crew. The rain had stopped to fall, but the weather was now cold. The crew began to walk in silence, all lost in their thoughts. Sinbad was leading the way, and Bryn was occupying his mind. If that Karpan hurt her...he would regret it. He won't let Bryn die. An image of Lea appeared in his mind, replacing Bryn. She was still the little girl he knew, but her look was the one of an adult. He didn't understand everything Maeve told him. 'I'll ask her questions after we rescue Bryn,' he thought, since he was dreaming every single night. 

Hours after, the path finally ended and the crew found themselves in front of a dark and enormous castle, surrounded by rocks. As they came near it, they noticed there was no door, like the old man told them. 

"How are we going to enter, if there's no door?" Doubar asked his brother. This castle gave him the shivers. He always hated dark places, but he never saw a place like this. Thinking that he may go inside just made him trembling. 'Stop it, Doubar...you're older enough to know that dark doesn't hurt!' he said, trying to convince himself, which didn't work. 

"Well...there's a window up there. It's not very high. I would be able to climb there," Sinbad said, more for himself. He then turned to face Doubar, Firouz and Rongar. "We don't have to go up there all together. Rongar and I will go. Just two stay here. If we don't come back after one day, leave."

"I won't leave without you, little brother. If you're not back tomorrow, Firouz and I will climb to that window!" Doubar decided. He won't change his mind and Sinbad knew it perfectly. When Doubar was decided to do something, nothing could stop him.

Sinbad sighed. "Fine. Let's go, Rongar." They ran to the castle and Rongar was the first to climb. He was very agile, so the job was easy for him. Sinbad followed him closely. The castle was made in rock and the cracks between each of them were just big so Sinbad and Rongar could put their fingers in it. The window was by chance opened, and they entered. 

~*~*~

A coffin...she was in a coffin...She started to scream and to give kicks to the walls. She was in a coffin, alive. She soon stopped to scream and to move, because her voice was only a whisper and she had no energy left to move. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She remembered now all of her days on the Nomad, with Sinbad and his crew. They were her friends, and they thought she hated them. Sinbad...Bryn remembered Sinbad's look when he saw she didn't trust him. "What have I done? They won't look for me now..."she whispered, sad. There was more in her than simple sadness. She felt all alone, left behind...'I'm never gonna have the chance to say goodbye, to say I remember them, to remember my past, to tell Sinbad I...' she stopped. Tell him what? That he was more than a friend for her? That she cared so much about him? That she loved him? "Love...yes I love him...but he doesn't. Maybe it's better he never know."

She closed her eyes. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep, sleep and never wake up. She passed her hand on her face. Her hands were so cold, so sweaty. She seemed to float in the air. She wanted to go far away from that box that was keeping her prisoner. She wanted to sleep. 

She suddenly heard voices that seemed to be far away. But they continued to talk, and she was now curious. So, with a sigh, she returned to her coffin and opened her eyes. The voices were closer now. She tried to hear what they were saying, but only words came to her ears. They sounded familiar. Who? She wanted to call, but what if it was them? What if they came to see if she was dead? She sighed, and closed her eyes once again.

~*~*~

Before Sinbad and Rongar could make a step in the room, three guards appeared. They quickly hid behind the red curtain pending each side of the window. They held their breath, hopping the guards were just passing by.

The three guards stopped in front of the coffin. They were all wearing a black armor, a sword in the right hand and a metallic shield in the left. They looked professional, until they started to talk.

"I still don't understand the boss. He should have killed her right away with a sword, instead of letting her die in that stupid coffin," the first one said, pointing the beautiful coffin with his sword, which was on a table, covered with a white blanket. 

"You don't suffer when you die like that...but if he wanted her to really suffer, I think he should have tortured her before," the second guard suggested, laughing. He once assisted at a torture scene and he loved it. The victim, begging them to stop…Too bad it had been so long...

"I agree." The third one nodded. "Who knows what the boss has in mind?" They all agreed and continued their round in the castle, leaving the room. 

A minute after, Sinbad and Rongar appeared in the room, finally breathing freely. They looked around, to make sure the guards left.

"Did you hear what they were talking about? I didn't catch everything..." Sinbad asked, taking a look around the room. 

Rongar shrugged and pointed the coffin. 

"They were talking about the coffin? That's weird...I mean, it's not every day you hear people talking about a coffin, right?" Sinbad stared at it. He had this strange feeling about it...about something that was inside of it. He looked at his rainbow bracelet that was flashing. "Bryn...Rongar, I think Bryn is in that coffin!" He couldn't explain why he felt that way.

They rushed over the coffin, and try to open it, but it simply didn't want to open up. 

"I don't like this..." Sinbad whispered to himself. He looked around the room to see if he could find something to open it up. There was an old ax on a wall, but it would be too dangerous to use it. "Fast, Rongar...We have to think of something fast before it's too late!"

Rongar searched on the coffin, to find something, anything. At the back, he finally found a locker. He showed it to Sinbad.

"Good job, my friend." He took the ax and broke it down. The two of them then managed to remove the cover. They pushed hard and it fell down in a crash. "Damn. Let's hope they didn't hear that..." 

When he looked inside of it, his face became paler. Bryn was inside, unmoving. Her eyes were closes and she had bruises on her arms and legs. Her hair was a real mess. But most of all, she didn't seem to be breathing. Rongar and Sinbad got her out carefully and put her on the floor. Rongar took her pulse and shook his head negatively. She was cold.

"No way she's dead. C'mon Bryn, you have to hang on!" He began to give her mouth-to-mouth, trying to hold on the tears he felt coming to his eyes. "Breathe! Do you hear me? You have to breathe!" She still wasn't breathing. Sinbad felt so helpless, looking at her lifeless body. He never thought he could lose her..."Why aren't you breathing? Why did you go away?" His voice was a whisper. He took her hand in his and holds it tight. Next to him, Rongar cried in silence. He lost so many people in his life: his parents, Lea, Dim Dim, Mustafa, Maeve and now Bryn. Happiness seemed to run away from him every time he thought he found it. He finally let the tears fall down to his checks.

Rongar was the first to notice that Bryn's and Sinbad's bracelets were shinning. He showed it to Sinbad. It was a sign. A good one.

"Bryn? Can you hear me?" Sinbad felt her hand moving in his. He smiled. 

Bryn opened her eyes slowly, painfully. She had a terrible headache. She closed them right after. Too much light...She heard a soft voice, talking to her, but she couldn't understand the words. Her arms, her legs, her head...all her body was hurting her. She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't speak, she had no voice. She then tried to open her eyes again. After a while, she started to see things. Two shadows were by her side. 

"Bryn! Are you alright?" one of the men said, anxiously. The other one just stared, concern in his dark eyes.

She coughed. "Yeah," she answered weakly. She tried to sit, but she didn't have the strength to, so she fell back. "What...what happened?" She looked at Sinbad. She felt happiness overwhelming her. He came to look for her! Even when she was hostile to him…She just wanted him to hug her and never let her go. But she was asking for too much. So she just stared into his blue eyes, wishing she could stay like this forever, lost into those sweet eyes of his.

"You were locked up in a coffin...We arrived just in time to save you," the same soft voice answered. "We have to get out of here fast. Do you think you can stand up?"

Bryn shook her head. She bit her lips and tried to get up, with the help of Sinbad, but her feet hurt so much so she fell in the arms of Sinbad, who decided to carry her. As the three of them were going to get out of the room, guards appeared in front of the door, blocking the way. 

Rongar stepped in front of Bryn and Sinbad protectively, his sword in hands. He waited for them to make the first move, but they didn't move. He looked interrogatively at Sinbad who was still carrying Bryn.

Sinbad looked around to see if there was another way out, but there wasn't. 

"Let me down. I'll be fine now. Really!" Bryn told him. She knew Rongar couldn't battle all the guards by himself, and Sinbad couldn't help him with her in his arms. As much as she felt comfortable in them, business came first.

"Are you sure?" When he saw the positive look in her eyes, he let her down, with hesitation, but took his sword and went next to Rongar, to prepare to fight. But before they could make a move, someone appeared in front of the guards. Karpan.

"Where do you think you're going with her?" Karpan laughed. "Guards, attack them!"

tbc…


	4. Memory lost, Memory found

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: Thanks to Rachel & Kid for beta-reading this. And thanks to those who keep reviewing. ;)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part four ~ Memory lost, Memory found

I have this feeling…that everything is going to change. I can't explain where it comes from…it's just there. Those kinds of feelings never failed me before. But this time, I honestly hoped it would. Something bad was coming. Towards me. And I won't be able to do anything to stop it. No one would be able to save me from the evil coming.

Is it the end?

~*~*~

The wind blew in his face, as he looked down, at the navy blue sea. He remembered this place now. Though this time, he was peaceful, almost happy to be there. Almost. The essence of the sea soon found his way to his nose. He loved this smell. As a kid, he could pass hours, just to breathe the fresh air from the sea, to feel drops of the waves on his face. This place just looked like the memories he had of that cliff he went when he was younger. 

Maeve and Lea soon joined him, and for the first time, stayed quiet for awhile, not moving. Sinbad sighed, and finally turned to face them. He had a lot of questions to ask them this time. And he wouldn't leave this place until he got answers.

"Go on. We'll answer as well as we can," Maeve said, reading in his mind. She showed him a tree, where they all sat, in a circle, like old friends who haven't see each other in a long time.

Sinbad took a deep breath. "I'd like to know why I am having these dreams. Why now, and not before? What's so different?"

"You know, it's not really dreams..." Lea answered. "Take this place, for example. It exits for real. I suppose you remember it..." She had a sad smile when she saw him nodded. "As for why now? Honestly, I don't really know. Your mind was more...connected to us when Bryn fell, I think."

Sinbad looked surprised. "You know about that? How?"

"We're watching. What else could we do? It's boring, being dead, you know..." Maeve added, followed by a sarcastic laugh. Dead. It felt strange talking about her being dead.

"Dead? But...I thought Dim Dim told us you were in a safe place?" Sinbad asked, even more confused.

"He thought I was...but it's a long story, and that's not important." She sighed. "I don't blame you. I know I told you a different thing before, but I was angry...It's not easy to accept your own death. But I got time to think about it. None of what happened was your fault. When you'll believe it, your life will be more easier" 

"We never answered why you were having theses **dreams**, as you call them," Lea said. She touched Sinbad's hand. "We'd like you to help us. We want to know why we're stuck in this place, and if there's a way out. We want go in this place they call heaven…this place our parents told us about before going in bed."

Sinbad nodded. They deserve it. After all, it was really his fault if the two of them died, whatever they said. If he could help in some way, he would do it. Even if it was the last thing he'd do. It's the least he could do for them now. "Okay. Tell me what to do."

Maeve smiled. "Thank you. First, you'll need to get out of Karpan's castle. You're currently unconscious in his dungeon with your crew. You'll have to kill him."

"Bryn is the only one who can do it. If she searches deep inside of her, she'll know how," added Lea. "Then, you'll have to start your journey. A woman named Shanna has the answers to our questions. She lives in Basra."

"Before you go, we must warn you. For Bryn, it's a very dangerous journey. Her life could change in a hear beat. There's a good reason why she doesn't remember her past. You have to make sure she won't. It could change everything. Trust me."

Sinbad frowned. "I...I don't understand...Why?" Why? What was in Bryn's past that should stay hidden in the dark? He didn't want to think about it. Whatever she did, she will still be a member of his crew, a dear friend, a...

Maeve shook her head. "It...it is for the good of everyone, Bryn included. She couldn't deal with it right now. When the time will come, she...she'll need you. I-I sincerely hope you'll be there for her when it happens."

Sinbad smiled sadly. "I will. I promise I will. I'll be there for her."

"We're counting on you, Sinbad. Don't let us down!"

"Now, it's time for you to wake up!"

~*~*~

"Sinbad? Sinbad?"

Sinbad moaned. When he heard his name, he opened his eyes slowly. Where was he? He tried to remember, and finally, he found the answer. In the dungeon of Karpan's castle, as Maeve told him. He looked around him. His crew was all leaning against a wall, as far away as possible from the skeletons that were hanging by chains in the middle of the dungeon. 

Sinbad swallowed with difficulty. He could only imagine by what kind of suffer these people had been through. Even now, he could see the pain in their boned faces. He turned his attention to Doubar, near him, who had been calling his name. "Hey."

"We thought you would sleep forever, little brother." He smiled to him, and started to groan. "Those guys really know how to fight! They disarmed us quickly..."

Sinbad got up and looked around. The dungeon was small, with simply a door, locked of course. He faced his crew, and sighed as he saw Doubar and Firouz and remembered something. "Didn't I told you to leave if we didn't come back?"

"And didn't I told you that we would climb as well if you didn't return soon?" Doubar replied. "They caught us as soon as we entered in the castle...We didn't got the chance to defend ourselves!"

Sinbad nodded and looked at Bryn. "How are you doing?" He was referring not only at her experience in the coffin, but also at her head. The worried look Firouz gave her confirmed his doubts. She wasn't totally recovered, and she now had to kill a powerful sorcerer?

She sighed. "I...I still can't remember my past. But at least, I remember how I met you guys...I wonder if I'll ever remember who I am." She coughed. Her headache was getting stronger. It seemed like a rock someone was throwing at her head every thirty seconds. She noticed the worried look each of them glanced at her, and she sighed. No need for them to worry about her. She was fine. Just suffering from a terrible headache that didn't seem to want to go away.

"It will come back to you in time, I'm sure," answered Firouz, slowly. "We should try to find a way out of here. Now. This place is giving me the shivers!" He tried not to look too much at the skeletons. It's not like he hadn't seen one before...

"Yeah. They really should work on the decoration," Doubar agreed 

A noise outside the dungeon made them all jump on their feet. The door opened itself slowly, showing Karpan with some of his men behind him. He walked slowly inside the dungeon, stopping next to a skeleton, a fiendish smile on his old rugged face. With his hand, he touched the arm of the skeleton, and pulled the arm towards him. The skeleton fell on the ground, without one arm. The sound of the dead body falling resonated strangely in Bryn's ears. Karpan smiled and threw the arm away. "I see you appreciate the view. Maybe I'll add you to my collection. It's been awhile since they had new companions."

"You're sick," Doubar mumbled.

Karpan laughed. "That's what people think about me. They probably are right. Anyway, I haven't come here to chat, but for business." He looked Bryn directly in the eyes. "I used to be a good friend of your father, you know. He must be horrified to see you traveling with people like them. And also worried."

Bryn frowned. "My father? I...you know my father?" She took a few steps ahead, stopping next to Sinbad. She finally found someone who knew about her past! She couldn't think of anything else. But she remembered the last part of his words. "Why would he be horrified and worried? I don't understand..."

Karpan smiled. "I think I'm right if I say you don't remember anything from your past? What a shame... Before he died, your father made me promise to take care of you. You were separated from him as a teenage girl, you see. He searched for you for years, without any results." He wiped away an imaginary tear. "So for two years, I had been searching for you. I finally found you now!"

"So...why did you put me in a coffin?" Bryn asked, not totally convinced by his story. It could be true, but why should she trust him? But...why trusting Sinbad? She frowned. She trusted Sinbad. She traveled with him for more than one year now. She knew him…didn't she?

Karpan shook his head. "A terrible mistake by my men...I knew you were staying in the inn of the village, so I asked them to bring you to me, and they misunderstood my intentions...but don't you worry, they had been punished for that." With one of his finger, he asked her to come closer.

Bryn couldn't stop looking in his eyes. Yes, he was telling the truth. She walked to him, but after only a few steps, a hand held her back. She turned herself furiously. Sinbad. He was holding her back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Don't listen to him, Bryn. He's lying," Sinbad replied, trying to understand the furious look in her eyes. Why was she trusting **him**? He tried to search the answer inside her eyes. They were looking coldly at him, moving from his face to the hand on her arm. He quickly removed it and stared at his hand. It felt hot, like he had been burnt by touching her. "Bryn..."

She didn't answer, and continued her way to Karpan, like nothing happened. Power. She needed power. She stopped when she was in front of him. She looked up at his eyes. She felt the power coming. Stronger and stronger. Good. It felt so good.

Karpan smiled. Finally. After all these years, she was finally in front of him, ready to access to her powers. They could rule the world together. He moved his hand to her forehead, and a hard wind began to blow, coming from nowhere.

Bryn breathed slowly, receiving the powers Karpan was giving her. Memories. Flashback of her own power. The darkness started to enter in her, freely. A red energy surrounded her. Bryn was back. 

"BRYN!" Sinbad screamed. He started to run to her, but Doubar's strong arms stopped him. Soon, Rongar and Firouz came to help him. Sinbad stopped to move, and watched, helpless as Karpan turning Bryn into something evil. When the red light stopped to glow, his heart stopped to beat for a moment. 

Bryn slowly turned around to face them, and the four of them gasped in union at the sight of her black eyes. Completely black. Without an emotion, she raised her hand to them. Surprisingly , Karpan stopped her.

"Not now, honey. I know you can't wait to destroy them, but it can wait. We have some things to do, before." He observed Sinbad and his crew. "We'll come back later, don't worry."

Bryn nodded slowly, and her arm returned to its original position. She followed Karpan out of the dungeon, and the door closed itself, letting a confused crew behind.

~*~*~

In the highest room of his castle, Karpan started to laugh. He admitted, he hadn't such fun in a long time. He was going to enjoy watching the great Sinbad died. His reputation was only going to become better. Everyone will be afraid of him now. And soon, the world will only be darkness. And he, Karpan, will be the ruler, with Bryn on his side. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Bryn appeared in the room, wearing a long velvet black dress, with broad sleeves. Her long brown hair floated in her back. She burned the yellow outfit she wore. How ugly! She couldn't believe she used to wear something like that! Amnesia can really make people do some stupid things. Traveling with good people...what was she thinking? But everything will be fine now. 

"It feels good to be back. And I have you to thank, my dear Karpan," Bryn said, in a low voice.

"I couldn't stand to see you acting all goody-goody. You belong to the dark forces," Karpan answered, giving her a smirk.

She smiled seductively at Karpan. "Yes. It is where I belong. Those fools who made me lose my memory will pay…in time. I believe we have some business to take care of."

Karpan slowly advanced closer toward her, caressing her brown hair. "Indeed we do. Sinbad must be destroyed once and for all. Shall I be the one to end his pitiful life?"

Bryn shook her head. "No. Let me. He needs to know that the Bryn he once knew never really existed. The time is come to for the legendary Sinbad to die!" Bryn smiled with satisfaction and moved away from Karpan. "Come, let's go destroy Sinbad, the sailor, and his stupid crew once and for all. After this, the entire world will fear us. The evil forces will win."

"We'll win."

~*~*~

"I can't believe it. Bryn..." Doubar couldn't continue. He was still shivering just at the thought. He looked his brother, worried. He was probably blaming himself for what happened. "Sinbad...it's not your fault. None of us could have done something to stop Karpan."

Firouz agreed. "We'll find a way to bring her back to the right side. Karpan probably brainwashed her, or something." He waited for Sinbad to answer, but he stayed silent. "Sinbad? Sinbad?"

Rongar sighed. Everything went so wrong since awhile. Maeve leaving them, Sinbad being so violent and dark, though he could understand. The world was so crazy. And the evil ones were stronger and more people joined their forces every day. And now, Bryn being evil. He honestly didn't know how they could save her. None of them were strong enough to battle black magic, if it was what they use. Now, the only thing he wished was to get out of this castle. Alive.

After hearing Firouz calling his name many times, Sinbad finally looked up at him. "What?" He passed a tired hand in his hair. He felt angry at Doubar for trying to stop him, at Firouz and Rongar for stopping him. And also at himself, for not having able to save her. The end was near. There was no way they could leave this place alive, in one piece. 

Maeve and Lea warned him about Bryn. He hadn't been able to keep her from remembering. They were probably watching right now. He let them down once again. They were stuck in that place forever. Because of him. He failed again to protect someone dear to his heart. He was cursed. Sinbad felt depressing overwhelming him, but he fought it. There was still a chance to save Bryn. He wouldn't give up.

Firouz shook his head. "Did you hear what I said? We're going to find a way to bring her back to the right side. It's not the time to lose hope. You killed Turok. You should be able to kill Karpan as well."

Sinbad stared at him. "Luck. It was only luck if I killed Turok. Anyway, only Bryn is able to kill Karpan. And there is no way she would kill him now."

"It's not because he's a sorcerer that only a sorcerer can kill him, " Firouz replied, trying to be logical. He was not going to let Sinbad's negativity come through him. Optimist. He was an optimist. Always and forever. He will believe there's a way until he died. And he wasn't going to let that happen anytime soon.

"No. You don't understand. I...I was told that only Bryn among us could kill him," Sinbad explained. "And now, she's on his side. There's no way out."

"Wait a minute, little brother...You were *told*? What does it mean exactly?" Doubar asked, curiously.

"You'll all think I'm crazy..." Sinbad whispered. 

"Nothing can surprise me, now. Believe me," Doubar replied, anxious to hear his brother's story. Firouz and Rongar agreed with him. Through the years, each of them saw things they never thought existed. Anything can happen. Plus, Doubar knew well his brother, he wouldn't tell lies. 

"Fine. I...I have been having those...dreams. Real dreams. I control what I'm saying and doing. I didn't understand at the beginning, but today, they explained everything to me." He sighed. He wouldn't be able to help Maeve and Lea now. 

"I understand nothing of what you said, Sinbad. Who explained you what? What are those dreams about?"

"Each time, I'm near a cliff, near the sea. The place where Lea and I used to play together when we were children. The..." He interrupted himself at the sound of the door opening. He got on his feet, soon followed by his friends.

Bryn appeared, with Karpan behind her. She walked in the room, like she was floating. Her dress moved in harmony with her. Karpan smiled. "We're back! Hope you didn't miss you too much."

Bryn stayed silent for a moment. She looked each of them, and her sight stopped at Sinbad. "I guess I have to thank you. If we didn't come here, maybe I would never have gotten back my memory. But now, I remember. I remember everything." She pointed her dress. "This is who I really am. The nice Bryn you met one year and half ago is gone. In fact, she never really existed." 

She started to toy with a long lock of her hair, looking down. "You'll just have to forget about me, I guess." She looked up and grinned. "Won't be too hard after I'm finish with you." She walked back to Karpan. "The game's over." She raised her hand and a black energy started to form in her palm, directed at Sinbad. "You're going to die now. Say goodbye to your friends."

Tbc…


	5. Mind Games

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights reserved and so on

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

The lyrics in italics belongs to "Kiss from a rose" from Seal. Don't own them.

A/N: Thanks to Rachel & Kid for beta-reading this. And thanks for the reviews!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part five ~ Mind Games

I cannot control myself anymore. It's **her** again. She's back and there's nothing I can do to stop her. She's too strong. I feel so weak compare to **her**. I can only watch her, as she destroys everything I worked so hard to build up. Watching her destroys the only friends I had in my life. I feel helpless.

So helpless

Please help me! I cannot fight anymore. Darkness had invade me. The light remaining in me is slowly fading away. No more there will be soon. The good will forever be gone. Evil will rule. No chance of turning back.

__

You became the light on the dark side of me

Help me.

~*~*~

Sinbad simply stared at her. He did not move, nor tried to stop her. He wasn't sure of what was really happening. The Bryn that stood in front of him wasn't the Bryn he knew and cared about. Cared much than he wanted too. Than he was supposed too. His eyes moved to Karpan for a second. The man was enjoying the scene. It was all his fault. Sinbad couldn't help but think that he brainwashed her or changed her memories. Because Bryn wouldn't try to kill him. Or maybe he was just trying to convince himself about it. In fact, he didn't know the real Bryn. 

Bryn was ready to release her energy on Sinbad when something stopped her. She looked at her palm. The black energy completely vanished. Her eyes turned to Sinbad who was still standing up, looking at her. She frowned. What just happened?

" What do you think you're doing?" he yelled to Bryn. "Why didn't you kill him?" He moved in front of her, blocking her view of Sinbad. He was furious. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. "Kill him!"

Bryn sighed. "Relax, Karpan. I don't know what happened. I was ready to kill him when my energy ball vanished. It's not like I backed away" She still didn't understand. It never happened to her. It was stuff that happened to beginner. And she wasn't one. She looked at Sinbad, over Karpan's shoulder. She then smiled. "Why don't you all leave? I'd like to have a small talk with the captain here before I kill him." She started to whisper something in Karpan's ear, who smiled.

"Fine. Just don't forget that I'm counting on you, honey." He clapped his hands and he and Sinbad's crew, disappeared, leaving Bryn and Sinbad alone, in the closed dungeon cell.

Before Sinbad could open his mouth, she waved her hand to stop him from talking. "Don't think I'll go easy on you. Karpan is just making me nervous." She smiled. "I hate being watched while I'm working, you see."

When she mentioned Karpan, an idea formed in Sinbad's head. It could work…It was better to try than to end up dead. "Then why don't you get rid of him?" Sinbad asked. He remembered Maeve telling him that Bryn was the only one who could kill Karpan. This was a good way to make it happen. And after, maybe Karpan's influence on her will disappear.

Bryn glanced at him. She thought about the suggestion. Getting rid of Karpan was a good idea. He may gave her back her memories, but he was annoying and a shame for the evil team. And of course, killing Karpan would make her more powerful. A smile appeared on her lips. "Why would you make that suggestion?" she asked, as she walked closer to him. 

Sinbad responded to the smile. "Karpan isn't a friend. We came here to kill him, and well…You would do the job so much better."

Bryn leaned against the nearest wall and observed him. "I hate being used. I won't do your dirty work. Well…you won't live enough to do it anyway." She combed her hair with one finger. "Don't try to play the bad guy. It doesn't work. Don't forget that I passed one year traveling with you. It's not like I forgot."

Sinbad sighed silently. It would be harder than he thought. "I wasn't asking you to do my dirty work. I was just suggesting something."

"And why would I listen to your **suggestions**?"

Taking a deep breath, Sinbad walked closer to her, but not too much. "Because you can trust me. I mean, you're Bryn, evil or good. Isn't friendship means accepting your friends the way they are?" He almost wanted to laugh. A part of him believed what he just said. Bryn was still a good friend. A very good friend. And he was going to do everything that was humanly possible to get her back. 

Bryn started to laugh softly. "That's probably the funniest thing you ever said, Sinbad. Really sweet." She crossed her arms on her chest. "Finally, maybe I won't kill you. I could use you for my entertainment. What do you think?"

Sinbad felt relief inside him. "Better than to end up dead, right?" He leaned on the wall, at a respectable distance. "So, will you consider my suggestion to kill Karpan?"

Bryn gave him a quick look. "I will get rid of Karpan. But for my own reasons." She moved away from the wall and faced him. "I'm warning you. You are alive because I decided so. If I don't like your attitude, you're dead. Oh, and it's not my pity that's gonna keep you alive. I believe you can be useful to me. Understood?"

"Yes," Sinbad agreed. While she was asking to Karpan to come in here, he began to have doubts. It probably wasn't the best way to get Bryn back. He had a feeling everything would turn very bad. But…he had no choice. He didn't have much time. He somehow believed he could turn her back to her old self again. At least, he was going to try. Even if it was the last thing he'd do.

He came back to reality when Karpan arrived in the room. Immediately, he spotted Sinbad and turned furiously to Bryn. "Why isn't he dead already?"

The room flashed black for a moment. Sinbad protected his eyes with one hand. When he was sure it was safe, he looked up, only to see Karpan prisoner of a small black dome. Bryn had a satisfied look in her brown eyes. She replaced her hair as she gave a quick look to Sinbad. Too quick that Karpan didn't notice it. 

Karpan furiously tried to free himself from the dome, without any success. "BRYN! What do you think you're doing? I don't have the time to play games. Free me immediately." He kicked the black dome.

Bryn shook her head slowly. "What a temper. My dear Karpan, I am not playing games, and I will certainly not free you. You see, I am eternally grateful to you for giving me back my memories, but you're so annoying. I just cannot stand annoying people. I'd rather rule to world all by myself." She smiled. "I don't need your help anymore."

Karpan began to feel scared, for the first time of his life. He knew she wasn't joking. His eyes went on Sinbad. That damn man! He probably found a way to manipulate Bryn. "Come on, Bryn. You know you need my help."

The dome became smaller. Bryn's eyes turned black. "I do not need your help. My dome will absorb your energy and give it to me. I will become even more powerful, and you will die. Don't you think I know the only reason you gave me back my memory is to use me?" Her whole body began to emit black energy. "I am not stupid."

Karpan became to feel nervous. "Bryn, honey…you don't really want me dead, right?" He began to tremble as she nodded. "Think about your father! He'd be very disappointed of you that you killed one of his best friend!"

A laugher filled the room. "You think I give a damn about what my father thinks? He isn't here…You *used* to be one of his best friend. Not anymore. In fact, I think he'd be glad that I got rid of you for him," Bryn answered, smiling.

Karpan's eyes went on Sinbad. His last chance. "Don't you see what he's trying to do? He manipulates you! To save his own ass."

Suddenly, the dome stated to grow smaller very quickly, to finally disappear a few seconds later, in a small explosion. There were no signs of Karpan in the room. Sinbad was stunned. He never thought magic could be that powerful. Killing him seemed so easy for Bryn. It somehow scared him. 

Bryn glanced at him and then, a smile formed on her lips. "Afraid I'd do the same thing to you?" She left the dungeon, followed closely by Sinbad, and they arrived in the room Sinbad found her in the coffin. She turned to face him. "If you do what I told you to do and don't disobey me, you don't need to worry. You see, you're going to help me."

Sinbad swallowed. "Help you? Why do you need my help?"

Bryn rolled around her finger a small ribbon that was in her hair earlier. "You will help me to conquer the world." She smiled. "You are very strong and to have you as an ally would be more than useful. In fact, I'm sure that I can convince you someday that the darkness is better than light." She tore the ribbon in two equal pieces and threw it on the floor. "You'll have to believe it when you'll see its power."

~*~*~

Maeve and Lea sat in front of each other around a small pool of water. They could see the forms of Sinbad and Bryn, talking. They witnessed the previous scene, where Bryn killed Karpan. Lea, without another look at the pool, got up and started to walk away. 

Mauve soon followed her. "Karpan is dead. But it didn't happen as we thought it would…"

Lea crossed her arms around herself, trying to get warmer. The air felt colder suddenly. "She remembers. This is bad. Sinbad seems to think he can bring her back to the side of good, but I'm not so sure…"

Maeve nodded. "I know. But let's not underestimate him. And don't forget that there are still some things that are hidden in Bryn's mind, that she still doesn't remember."

"Not sure if it's a good thing…" Lea whispered. She wished there would have some wood to make a fire, but no trees were to be seen. 

"It would make her more vulnerable. Sinbad could use it to his advantage to do what he has to do."

Lea frowned. "Sinbad wouldn't use the circumstances to *do what he has to do*****."

"It's for Bryn's sake. He cares about her, and would do whatever it takes to have the Bryn he knew back," Maeve explained. What she didn't tell to Lea was that she hoped it would be the case. She didn't want to think about the possibility that Bryn drags him with her to the dark side.

~*~*~*~

Facing the window, Bryn observed the cloudy dark sky. A so beautiful spectacle to watch. In the distance, lightnings were crashing, lighting for a moment the darkness. The rain soon started to fall. A perfect day.

Behind her, Sinbad glanced at the broken ribbon, thinking about his brother, Firouz and Rongar. He wondered where they were. "What are you going to do with Doubar, Firouz and Rongar?" Sinbad brusquely asked.

After taking a last long glance at the landscape, Bryn turned to face Sinbad. "Ah, of course. I forgot about your friends for a moment. I'm not sure right now. I could kill them, but…too easy, and not fun at all." She replaced her hair behind her ears. "I am not releasing them."

Sinbad was about to argue when the image of Karpan dying came back to his mind and he decided it was a better idea to shut up. For the moment. He'll think of a plan to free his brother and his friends. "Fine. Whatever," Sinbad mumbled. 

Bryn shrugged. "Follow me." She started to climb the stairs that went in the highest part of the castle. Arrived at the top, she pointed him a cell where Sinbad could see his brother, Firouz and Rongar, sleeping. "See, they're fine. You wouldn't want to wake them up, right?" She then grabbed his arm and pulled him into a close room. "This will be your room."

Sinbad looked around. There was a small bed, with no window and no decoration. The walls were all black. "Sweet."

Bryn smiled. "Glad you like it," she said, ironically. "You go to bed now. We have a lot to do, tomorrow." She closed the door, and locked it. "Sweet dreams." 

~*~*~*~

"Welcome back," were the first words that Sinbad heard. He immediately knew he finally fell asleep. He had so much in his mind, he thought he'd never be able to sleep. He opened his eyes and saw them. Maeve and Lea. They seemed to have waited for him to come. He combed his messed hair with his left hand. "Hey."

"You seem tired," Maeve noticed. "I am sorry about Bryn. We never thought it would happen this way."

Sinbad sighed. "Not your fault. I'll find a way to make the darkness in her go away." He paused. "Even if it's the last thing I do."

Lea started to shiver. It became even colder since Sinbad arrived. She looked at Sinbad and Maeve. Neither of them seemed to be affected. 'What's going on?' She frowned, and then shrugged. It was probably in her mind. But still, she wished she could drink a mug. "Love conquers all," she mumbled to herself.

Sinbad looked curiously at her. "Said something?"

Lea shook her head. "Nah. I was just talking to myself."

"You probably have a lot of questions about Bryn. I cannot answer all of them, because I don't know everything. I know that she used to be a good sorceress until something terrible happened. We have no idea of what it is, but since that day, she switched for black magic. Since she was causing too much trouble, a group of magicians decided to curse her, by giving her amnesia. The details, we don't know. How she arrived on the island where you met, we don't know either," Maeve explained. 

Lea nodded. "Maybe you'll find those answers someday. Just, please…don't forget about what we asked you."

Sinbad smiled weakly. "I won't."

~*~*~*~

"Bryn, Bryn! Run away! Run! You have to go far away from here, my sweety! Go!" the woman yelled, as she just finished to read the letter that arrived earlier. Her face was as pale as snow and she was pushing the little girl out of the house. "I can't explain it to you right now, but please! Believe me, you have to go far away! Just remember I love you. Go NOW!" She closed the door behind her and fell to the floor, her hands covering her face, crying.

The little girl watched the closed door for a moment, tears in her eyes. Why her did mommy throw her out? It' wasn't fair...She began to knock on the door, hysterically, screaming and crying, but the door didn't opened up. She didn't understand. Things like this weren't supposed to happen. What was she supposed to do? She was only ten years old. But she did what her mommy told her and began to run as fast as her little legs permit her. She didn't know where to go, so she headed straight in front of her. She ran, ran and ran, for days. It could rain, wind hard or being hot, she wouldn't stop running, like the evil itself was after her. She missed her mommy very much. She missed her friends and her house. She didn't want to be alone. "Please, god. Help me. Please," she whispered. Suddenly, she heard noise behind her and she turned to saw two men, smiling at her.

"Hey, little. What are you doing in that place, alone? It's not for little girls..." the first one said, a dangerous smile on his face. He walked closer to her, a knife in his hand.

Screams.

Then silence.

~*~*~*~

Bryn woke up, sweat on her forehead. She was panting like she had run for two days. …like the girl in her nightmare. She heard her name, Bryn. Was the little girl and herself the same person? Bryn started to tremble and she replaced her brown hair. She felt weak. She got up of her bed, and started to walk in circle around her room. She didn't remember something like this happening to her. Karpan had better not messed with her head, or she'd go straight in hell where he is and make him pay even more badly!

She stopped in front of the window. The rain had stopped to fall, the moon was full and was giving a scary look at the forest west of the castle. She sighed. It was probably just a bad dream, nothing else. The little girl couldn't be her. It just couldn't. She wasn't the only girl in this world naming Bryn. She returned to bed, waiting to fall asleep, wishing for the morning to come soon.

But she couldn't sleep. Cold. She had this weird feeling inside, that didn't want to go away. Feeling she remembered feeling so often before. Why did it came back? Sitting up in the bed, she lean her head on her arms that were now hugging her legs. She wanted to cry. She wanted the pain to stop. At this moment, she felt like dying.

Uncontrolly, the tears started to flow down her cheeks. She didn't noticed them. Why now? Why was it all coming back to her *now*? She wasn't weak anymore. Evil cannot be evil. Evil do not cry. She hugged herself tighter. She realized then the tears were sill flowing. It didn't want to stop.

Stop, I said!

Suddenly, Bryn felt so angry. So angry. She wanted to destroy everything. Killing everyone. She angrily got up of the bed and stoop up on the floor. She wiped the tears away with the back of her and. Still with the same anger, she formed a ball of black energy in her hand and was getting ready to throw it right into the wall in front of her. But before she could throw it, it disappeared.

"No!" she screamed, as she felt to her knees. She punched on the floor with her fits until she had no more strength. Tiredly, she closed her eyes. Pictures immediately appeared in her mind. "Go away!" she whispered. She let out an scream full of agony.

But no sound came out.

Tbc…


	6. Evil vs Evil

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: Thanks to Rachel & Kid for beta-reading this. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

****

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part Six – Evil vs. Evil

A bad side lies inside of every of us. For some, it stays hidden forever, but for others…it takes control when you least attended to. It controls your every words, your every moves. And all you can is watch. Watch and wait. Wait for something to happen. Waiting for it to go away. But will it ever go away? Is there really a way to turn everything back to normal?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

There is two I. One good. One evil. One that's dying. The other is living. Despite everything else, we are scarred. We form one. We shall form one again.

~*~*~

Silence. 

Sinbad, lying on the bed, couldn't hear a single sound. Perfect. The complete castle was asleep. Now was the best time. He slowly got up, taking his sword in his hand and walked as quietly as possible to the door. He opened it and went where Bryn showed him sooner Doubar, Rongar and Firouz. He couldn't let them here. He needed them to help Maeve and Lea. He knew they would be able to do it. 

The door was unlocked when he arrived. Strange…Sinbad didn't like that. There was probably a trap of some kind. He carefully opened the door. His brother, Firouz and Rongar seemed to be asleep. He made a step in the room. Nothing happened. He came closer to the cell where his friends were locked up. 

Doubar opened one eye. When he saw his brother, he jumped on his feet. "Sinbad!" he whispered happily. "Are you okay?"

Sinbad nodded. "I'm fine."

"What happened? I was so sure you were dead! Bryn didn't kill you?" Doubar asked.

The noises woke Firouz up. He had the same reaction when he saw Sinbad than Doubar. "Ah, Sinbad! I am so glad to see you!"

"Me too. Listen, I'm gonna get you out of here. I'll explain everything else later." He took a glance around the room. The key was on a table, in the corner of the room. Sinbad walked carefully to it and grabbed it quickly. "I never thought it would be so easy," he announced as he managed to unlock the cell's door. 

His brother was the first one out. Firouz was trying to wake Rongar up. "Rongar! Rongar, wake up, my friend." He was about to slap him, when Rongar finally opened his eyes. "Geez, it was about time! I never thought you could sleep so hard!"

Rongar simply sighed. He smiled at Sinbad and got out of the cell, pulling a confused Firouz with him. 

"You have to get out of here without anyone noticing it. I want you to go in Basra to see Cairpra and ask her about a woman named Shanna. I don't have the time to explain more."

Doubar looked at his brother, puzzled. "I don't understand any of what you are saying, little brother. Why aren't you coming with us?"

"I-I need to stay here. I'm going to try to bring back Bryn to the right side." He showed his friends the stairway leading to the first floor, where they would be able to leave the castle. "Take the Nomad and go to Basra. Don't worry about me, I will be fine."

Doubar was about to protest when Firouz cut him off. "It doesn't sound like a good idea to me, but we will go to see Caipra and ask her about Shanna…And, what are we going to ask her about Shanna?"

"Just if she knows where to find her. I-I don't have the time to explain more. You have to hurry before someone notices you're gone!"

Firouz and Rongar started to walk away. Doubar suddenly hugged his brother. "I wish you would come with us, but I understand. Just be careful…" He turned away quickly, afraid he'd never be able to leave if he'd stay longer. Before disappearing, he gave his brother a smile. "We'll come back for you and Bryn."

"I know," was Sinbad answered that only him could hear. He tried to hold back the tears as he watched his big brother disappeared. He started to walk back to his room when he came across the room where he and Bryn had talked earlier. He entered and looked around. His eyes caught on the ground the ripped black ribbon. Hypnotized, he couldn't stop glancing at it. He kneeled on the floor and placed on his palm. 

Shaking his head, he rapidly hid it his pant's pocket. And he froze when he heard the sound of footsteps.

~*~*~

Lost in his thoughts, Sinbad wasn't listening to what Bryn was saying. It wasn't probably something very nice. When she found out he freed Firouz, Doubar and Rongar, she got so angry that she ended up destroying the entire cell room. Luckily, she hadn't destroy **him**. Not yet. 

Taking a breath, Bryn was about to go on when she noticed Sinbad wasn't listening anymore. She formed a black energy ball and threw it at his feet. Surprised, Sinbad jumped and looked at her, puzzled. "The least you could do is listen when I'm talking." She crossed her arms on her chest. "You cannot be trusted."

Sinbad sighed. "Look, I don't see why you made such a big deal about it. It's not like they were a necessity…"

Breath in. Breath out. Breath in. Breath out. Bryn tried her best to stay calm. She felt this sudden urge to kick him in the face and to hurt him. She frowned. No way she was getting soften by the sailor! "Guards! She called out. 

Impatiently, she cursed them when no one came. "Very well. I'll handle this by myself, it seems," she angrily whispered. "Follow me. And don't try anything stupid!"

Shrugging, Sinbad followed her. She stopped in front of his room. Before he could make a single move, she pushed him in. "Hey!"

"Sorry, but it's the only way I'm sure you won't do trouble." By waving her hand, the door closed itself and Sinbad heard the sound of a locked. "Don't even try to escape. You'd be just wasting your energy."

"What are you going to do?" Sinbad asked, louder enough for her to hear him, despite the closed door between them.

Bryn leaned a moment on the closed door. She taped her lips with her black nailed finger and smiled. "I have some business to take care of." Her smile disappeared when the face of a certain person formed in her head. "So until I'm back, you'll have to stay here." Without any other word, she vanished.

"Who? Where?" Sinbad asked. "Bryn? Bryn?" He sighed when he understood she was already gone and kicked the door. "Damn!"

~*~*~

Sitting against a tree, Maeve looked up at the dark and starless sky. Lea, next to her, was sleeping. Her regular breathing was the only sound that could be heard in the silent night. No moon, no sun. Maeve wished she could see the sun just one last time…It wasn't too much to ask, was it?

Seems to be.

Life around here was so boring. No one else to speak to…except Lea. But Lea was now feeling sick. Her time will probably be over soon. Not fair. "Please Sinbad. Help us…"

She closed her eyes, imagining a forest of trees, a blue sky with the shinning sun, birds singing, children playing…Silently, she prayed.

~*~*~

"Set sails!" Doubar commended to the crew of the Nomad. He was at the tiller, with Rongar at his side. "Direction: Basra."

Rongar silently looked at the not so peaceful sea. He still wasn't sure leaving Sinbad behind was a good idea. He was their captain. Rongar didn't know what the new Bryn was capable of. He wanted to be sure that even if she was evil now, Bryn could never hurt Sinbad. But how to know?

Reading his thoughts, Doubar placed an encouraging hand on the moor's shoulder. "Don't worry about Sinbad. Bryn would **never** hurt him. Never."

"How can you be sure?" Firouz asked as he joined them. "I mean, she was going to kill him before. Next time, she may not stop."

Doubar shook his head. "Nah. There will always be something that will stop her. Bryn is good and I believe that my little brother can help her, but we have to help him by doing what he asked and not worry about him," Doubar declared.

The three men fell into silence, watching at the cloudy sky. They all hoped Doubar was right. Doubar included.

~*~*~

Black clouds covered the sky, making the day looked almost like night. The streets of the little town were desert, except for Bryn. But suddenly, she wasn't alone anymore. She quickly turned around and gasped.

"Well, hello Bryn dearie!"

"Scratch," Bryn acknowledged. "What an…unpleasant surprise."

An evil laugh came from Scratch's mouth. "I can see that you're back to your old self again. How delightful! Traveling with Sinbad…I almost had an **heart** attack when I saw that!" He started to laugh uncontrollably. 

Bryn stared at him a moment before a smile curved on her lips. "Always the joker, Scratch. You haven't change a bit." She replaced a lock of her hair that fell in her eyes. "So, what do you want?"

"Want? Oh, I want a lot of things. I just happen to have a list!" He smiled as a parchment appeared in his hand. "I want: Non-peace in the world, no more goody-goody people, no more good magic, no more love, no more happiness, no more smiles…and I want Sinbad."

Bryn stayed silent for a moment. "Good for you to know what you want, but why did you came here to tell **me** about your so precious list?"

Scratch shook his head. "Bryn, my dear. I think being good for awhile destroyed a part of your brains."

Bryn's eyes began to glow black. "Don't insult me, Scratch, or you'll regret it."

Scratch jumped away, laughing. "Oh, sorrry! My, can't you take a little joke?" He jumped back to his position. "I guess not. Heh, didn't mean to insult the lady. I'd never do that!"

Bryn took a deep breath. "Scratch, I am warning you. Say what you have to say or I may begin to loose my temper."

Shrugging, Scratch continued to smile. "Fine. I came to make you a proposition." He paused. "You and I should become allies. We could conquer and rule!"

"I work alone. You should know that by now. Karpan tried the same thing and look where he is now."

"Karpan was a fool and, a disgrace to us, evil ones! But you and I…We'd be an unstoppable team!"

"My team is already unstoppable.

Scratch frowned. "Your team?"

"Yeah. Me and myself. That's the perfect team."

Scratch tightened his fists furiously. "You're turning my proposition down? This is not a wise move to make, dear."

"On the contrary. It's the wisest move I could make." Bryn shrugged and smiled. "I'm planning to do things my way and my way doesn't include you. You are not going to use me. If you want to rule the world, do it by yourself."

Scratch grinned. "I thought you'd wanted to rule the world and destroy all goodness. At least, that's what the real evil Bryn wanted. I don't think you're fully back to your old self."

A wicked smile appeared on Bryn's lips. "Oh. Really?" She quickly formed a black ball of energy and propelled it towards Scratch. It touched him in the chest and he backed away in a cry of pain. She laughed. "Did I hurt you? I am so sorry!" She crossed her arms on her chest, satisfied. "You always annoyed me, Scratch."

"Bitch!" Scratch shouted, his eyes furiously glancing at her. He suddenly advanced closer to her. "I heard you were holding Sinbad prisoner. Maybe he brainwashed you. Or maybe he didn't need to brainwash you…" He smiled. "Women are all the same. When there's a cute guy around, you forgot everything else!"

Bryn dreamed of wiping that smile off his ugly face. But she controlled herself. For now. "You dare compare me to the other women? You shouldn't have do that." She licked her lips. "And Sinbad did not brainwash me. I simply know what I have to do. What I should have done sooner."

~*~*~

Lea was staring at the dead fire, trying to warm up herself. She didn't remember the place being so cold before. The place was desert, but it had always been warm until now. She sighed. She had woke up half and hour before, finding Maeve sleeping and the fire burn out. 

"You're shivering."

Maeve's voice startled her as she thought the woman was still sleeping. She was looking at her, concern in her eyes. Lea was silently happy not to be alone anymore. "Aren't you cold? It's freezing!"

Maeve sighed and sat up next to her. She touched Lea's forehead with he back of her hand. "No fever."

Lea frowned. "Can dead people have fever? I never thought so."

Maeve closed her eyes. "I forgot. I-sometimes I almost feel like we're alive." She opened them up and saw the sadness in Lea's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Lea shook her head. "Nah. It's okay." She paused a moment. "Do-Do you think Sinbad will succeed to bring back Bryn to the good side?"

"Honestly…I don't know. I hope so. Sinbad always succeed in what he's doing." She smiled a small smile. "You know what they say: Love conquers all." Maeve then frowned. It had been two times already she said the same words, words she would never thought saying before. 'Being in this place for so long must have done something to my brains,' she thought ironically. 

Lea smiled back at her. "Yeah." Her smile then faded away. "Do you…How can you know? I mean…Is it really love? Because sometimes, it looks like love, but it isn't."

Maeve slowly nodded, memories filling her head. "I know," she whispered. "But I believe this is real," she added firmly. "Of course I could be wrong…Time will tell us the answer."

~*~*~

For the hundred times, Sinbad kicked the door, in hope to break it down. After trying to break the window with a chair without any positive results, he decided to try with the door. He didn't have any luck. Discouraged, he sat against the damn door and silently cursed it for being so solid. What an irony. 

No. He cursed himself for being locked up in a room, unguarded, and also for not being able to get out. "Damn you, Bryn!" he muttered.

He got up and started to walk in circles around the room. "Where the hell are you?" he asked, wishing he could have the answer so he would stop worrying. Because he was worry. The feeling of fear in his stomach didn't want to leave. Fear that something is going to happen to her. And he couldn't do anything to stop it. "Because you are locked up and don't seem to be able to get out," he mumbled aloud.

He stopped walking a moment. "Where could she went?" He scratched his head. "Think Sinbad. Think and find the answer." She probably didn't go very far. The island wasn't that big. But each second counted. "That's why I have to hurry and find a way out!" Something **will** happen, he knew it now. He glanced at his rainbow bracelet. "Can't you help me?" He sighed and leant against the wall near his bed. And suddenly, he fell backwards…

~*~*~

Scratch started to laugh hysterically. His eyes smiled wickedly at Bryn. "You want ta kill me? And how do you think you're going to do that? You may be a powerful witch, but I am Scratch, the demon of darkness. I know how you work, what's in your mind." He walked closer to her. "I didn't want to do that, but I guess I'm gonna have ta kill ya." He shrugged. "Too bad."

Without letting any emotions shown on her face, Bryn took several steps back, ready to attack. "Then let's fight and see who wins!" Pointing her arms towards Scratch, she concentrated on accessing her powers. From her fingers, dark blue lightning began crashing towards Scratch. Her eyes became all black as she let the darkness come to her.

Scratch formed a shield of fire in front of himself, which absorbed Bryn's lightning. In the hand behind his back, he began to form a large fireball. He smiled. Bryn wouldn't realize what's happening until it would be too late for her to defend herself. Quickly, he threw the huge fireball in Bryn's direction with a laugh.

Bryn's eyes widened at the view of the fireball. She rapidly stopped forming lightning and a demi-dome appeared in front of her, just in time to stop the fireball from hitting her. She let a sigh of relief. She had to be more careful now.

Scratch eyed her angrily. The bitch! She was stronger then he thought. 'Well, I'm much stronger and **I** will win'. "Meteors!" he suddenly screamed in the silent evening. A rain of meteors started to fall around Bryn, coming from every direction, obliging her to form a complete dome. Scratch smiled, satisfied. She was too concentrated on keeping her dome still. In his left hand, he formed a very long sword of fire. It would be strong enough to pass through the dome and once it hit her, she would explode. "And no more Bryn," Scratch whispered. 

He quickly walked to her, his sword in front. Bryn suddenly noticed it and he saw in her eyes the fear. She knew that she couldn't do anything. "Goodbye, my sweet Bryn," he shouted as the sword was about to cross the dome.

Pain. He suddenly felt a terrible pain. Scratch looked up. The sword. It was on the ground. How? He turned around and gasped. Sinbad. Anger. And still the pain. In his arm. His left arm. He examined it. His hand… "Bastard! You cut my hand!" He yelled at the realization.

Sinbad simply stared at him, his bloody sword in hand. He arrived just in time. He then turned his look on Bryn. Her dome had disappeared and she was staring at Scratch's hand on the ground, still holding the sword. Disgusting. The sword suddenly exploded silently.

Scratch stepped away, looking at the two of them. "You will pay. You **will** pay." He then disappeared, his words echoing in the silence.

~*~*~

A figure stood in the shadows, watching. A smile appeared on her lips. She touched with a finger the necklace she was wearing. She laughed softly. "You are back, sister." Her smile then disappeared. "And Sinbad." Her eyes darkened. With a gracious wave of the hand, she vanished in a twister of smoke.

Tbc…


	7. A light in the dark

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights reserved and so on

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: A big thanks to Rachel and Madelaine for their wonderful beta-reading! ;) 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part Seven – A light in the dark

Sometimes, I feel like I'm in control, like I'm turning back into my old self again. Then, I see those images. Those images that seem to be reflections of my past, but that look so unfamiliar in a way, but very familiar in another. I keep yelling and screaming, but no one hears me. My screams are now fading away. Maybe I should just let happen what must be. 

There is an evil and a good side in everyone. Sometimes, one is stronger than the other. I think my good side is the weaker. The evil in me is too strong. I only wish that there could be something that can help me. Something…or someone.

~*~*~

After a long moment of silence, Bryn finally decided to turn around and face him. Something, somewhere inside of her was telling her that she should thank him for saving her life, but she refused to listen to that something in her head. Simply refused. So she lashed out. "How the hell did you get out?" she asked, her voice cold. 

At first, Sinbad was stunned by her reaction, but then he remembered that she was the bad guy now. He shrugged. It wasn't her fault. He was just happy he arrived in time. He smiled at her as he remembered how lucky he had been. "Simple. I leaned against the wall, it opened up, happened to be a passage out, so I took it and here I am!" He grinned. 

Bryn frowned. The passage! Of course! How could she forget about it? 'Stupid, stupid, stupid' she cursed. She observed him angrily. He seemed to think it was funny. "I didn't ask for your help. I didn't **need **your help**. **I had everything under control." 

Sinbad shook his head. "Oh, please. Scratch was going to send you on a one-way trip to the death world, and you know it. What bothers you so much is that I helped you. Admit it." He silently hoped that Bryn would finally return to being herself. He just needed a little more time - more time and more effort. But he knew he would succeed. It was his goal in life to help people. And now, Bryn needed his help more than ever, more than anyone else. He still wasn't sure how he'd manage to bring her back to her old self, but he'd find a way. There had to be a way...

Bryn knew he was right. But never would she admit it to him. Never. She turned around and started to walk away. He was beginning to become more troublesome. Sooner or later, she'd have to get rid of him once and for all. It was the right thing to do. 'Then why can't you do it?' a little voice inside her head asked. 'Why didn't you kill him the first time? Why have you asked him to help you? Face it, Bryn. He has a power over you. A power that could destroy the evil inside of you. Even when you're evil, you still care about him.'

Lies. This is all lies. Don't you dare say such horrible things to me. I am not going to listen to you. You are just a stupid liar. I do not care for him. I do not need him. He has no power over me. I can destroy him if I want. I can kill him any time I want. I will show you there is no more goodness in me. I will show you evil always wins. I will show him. I will show everyone that I am evil. I will destroy him. I will. 

'You won't' the voice in her head kept chanting. 'You won't because you can't. You can't do anything against him. You're not really evil. You just want to believe you are. What have you done so far? You killed Karpan and fought with Scratch. Two evil ones. You didn't destroy a thing. The good part that is within you is stronger than your dark side. Eventually, evil will lose. You'll see.'

No. You will see. You will see that you are wrong. So wrong. I am not good. I am all evil. Completely evil. You want me to show you how evil I am? I will show you. Just watch and learn how bad I can be.

Bryn suddenly faced Sinbad who still hadn't moved to follow her. Her eyes became darker and darker by the second. She stared at him, full of hate and anger. "I am tired of you. I've just decided to get rid of you right now, so you won't bother me anymore." She smiled wickedly. "Then I will find your brother and your little friends and kill them, slowly until they beg me to end their miserable lives. After this, no one will be able to stop me from destroying all goodness on this planet." She started to laugh softly, her laughter gradually becoming hysterical. 

"You don't want to do this, Bryn. Listen to me," Sinbad said carefully, so as not to scare her. Since she had turned evil, it was the first time he had seen her acting so weird, so full of madness. It scared him. Scared the hell out of him. He silently prayed it wasn't too late. 

Suddenly, the laugher stopped. Bryn walked closer to him. "Listen to you? Listen to **you**? I am not going to listen to you anymore. Never again. Don't try to trick me. It won't work this time, because I figured out your little plan. Trying to turn me back into the good ol' Bryn you knew…You are so naive! Don't you understand that she's gone for good? Bye bye goody-Bryn. I am Bryn now. You are just wasting your time focusing your energy on me. And you'll end up losing your life. What a pity!" She caressed his cheek with her long-nailed finger. "Too bad I can't turn you into evil. We could have formed a great team." She then posed her finger on her cheek. "But business is business." She cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look up. "Look at the sky carefully because it'll be the last time you're going to see it!" She smirked and let go of him as she laughed.

~*~*~

Looking back a moment, Doubar could see the Nomad from a distance. They were now in Basra. They were lucky that a storm hadn't hit them. Sighing, he walked faster to join up with Firouz and Rongar who had walked ahead. They seemed in a hurry to arrive at Caipra's house. He was too. He still thought it was strange not to have his little brother around. 

By the time he joined his friends, Firouz had already knocked on the door. "I hope she's home," he declared more for himself than for the others. Rongar nodded in agreement. 

The door slowly opened and the friendly features of Caipra appeared. She smiled when she recognizedthem. "It's Doubar, Firouz and Rongar! What a wonderful surprise! Please, come in!" she invited.

They gladly entered the small house. She looked at each of them, still smiling. "Any news about my husband?" she asked, hopefully.

Firouz looked down a moment. "No…I'm sorry." He wished he could say more to the woman. He could only imagine what it was like to still hope for your loved one to come back home after so long…

Caipra closed her eyes, and opened them almost immediately; she smiled softly. "Don't be sorry. He will return someday, when the time is right." She then invited them to sit down. "So, what brings you here, my friends? It has been awhile since I last saw you."

Doubar cleared his throat. "Sinbad sent us here." 

~*~*~

Her eyes darkened as she began to form an energy ball in her hand. Her eyes smiled at Sinbad, who didn't seem frightened. Finally, he will die. 'That will prove something to the annoying little voice in my head who keeps telling me I can't kill him,' Bryn thought, satisfied.

She took one last look at Sinbad. 'Too bad I have to kill you, handsome. If I could have turned you evil, we would have been one hell of a team.' She then shrugged. 'But I shall enjoy killing you.'

Her energy ball was now fully formed in her hand. "This is the end, Sinbad. Your end. Don't worry. I will tell your brother before I kill him that you begged for mercy like the weak and pathetic sailor you are." As she was about to throw the ball, she suddenly froze. The world around her darkened. She found herself in another place, another time. Watching. 

~*~*~

In horror, the little girl watched the knife getting closer and closer to her. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She wanted to run, but her tiny legs refused to obey her. She didn't want to die. She was too young to die. Kids of her age didn't die! They grew up, got married, 

had kids, lived happily ever after.

Fearfully, she looked at the two men. They were both big and ugly. They looked as if they hadn't taken a bath in more than five months, which was probably a fact. They were going to kill her. She knew it. 'Do something!' a voice yelled inside her head. But what could she do? She couldn't defend herself. Angry that she was so helpless against them, she fervently wished that they could be hit by a tree and die. She froze and clenched her eyes, waiting for the knife to strike her heart. Her smiling mother appeared in her mind. 'Oh, mommy…Why did you throw me out? I need you so much!'

A crashing sound startled her and she opened her eyes quickly. The two men who were going to kill her were now lying dead under a fallen tree. She began to shake. "Just like I wished," the little girl stated out loud. At this realization, she began to shake more, unable to make it stop. "What did I do? What did I do?" She kept repeating the same words over and over again. Hysterical, she collapsed to the ground, tears falling down her cheeks. "I killed them! I killed them!"

Suddenly, she heard someone laughing. "W-Who's there?" the girl asked, her voice trembling. She looked around carefully, but saw no one, only trees. "Stop it!" she ordered, trying to find the direction it came from. It seemed to come from every direction at the same time. 

"Bryn, Bryn, Bryn…Those tears are a waste. They deserved to die…" the voice chanted softly. "They were going to kill you. You defended yourself by killing them first. You did the right thing."

"How-How did you know my name?" 

"Because I am you. Bryn is you, and Bryn is I. I am in your head, I am a part of you," the voice answered happily. "You have great powers. Greater than you could ever possibly imagine. They will grow with time. This is just the beginning. Your mother threw you out because she didn't want you anymore. She knew what kind of person you really were and she stopped loving you," the voice continued. "I care about you. No one else does, and no one else ever will. I am the only friend you can have. We'll share everything. Everything."

Bryn put her hands on her ears. "My mommy loves me! I will have friends that care about me! You're a liar. Nothing but a liar! Go away! Go away! I don't want to hear you anymore!" She screamed. But she could still hear the voice, laughing at her.

"Bryn. You are a killer. How could people want to be friends with you? Only I understand. Only I will ever understand," the voice mocked.

"I'm not a killer! I didn't want this to happen!" Bryn answered. Her heart started to beat faster in her chest. She couldn't understand what was going on.

The voice laughed louder. "Of course you wanted it to happen. That is why it happened. Because you wanted it!" The voice paused a moment. When it spoke again, no laugher could be heard. "Bryn, you are destined to be evil, to be bad and hurt people. One day, you'll become one of the most powerful witches of the dark side. And when that day arrives, I will be there to take control."

Bryn shook her head, keeping her hands on her ears. "I'm not evil! I'm not! Go away! Leave me alone! Go away!" She screamed as loud as she could. Falling on her knees, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. She leaned against a tree, trying to make herself as small as possible. The voice kept laughing in her head. When would it stop? When would it go away? Just shut up…shut up!

~*~*~

Bryn returned to reality. She noticed she was shaking. Her energy ball had disappeared from her hand. Anger rose inside her. Once again, for an unknown reason, she failed to kill Sinbad. But before she could make a move, the world became dark again and the last thing she experienced was falling on the ground and hearing someone scream her name.

As soon as he saw Bryn fall, Sinbad ran to her and kneeled by her. He slowly caressed her face with his fingers, his blue eyes full of worry. All the anger had disappeared from her features and she now looked tortured and scared. He wished he could take away what was bothering her so much. He wished he could make the evil in her go away. He wished so many things, but it seemed his wishes were never going to come true.

'No.' Sinbad shook his head. He had to believe that Bryn would return to her old self again. He made himself the promise that he would bring her back, and he always kept his promises. Carefully, he took her in his arms and carried her to the shelter of a tree, where he gently laid her down. He sat next to her, his eyes not leaving her face. He just waited for her to wake up.

~*~*~

Caipra nodded. "I have been feeling the changes that have occurred in your travel companion, Bryn. This is why you are here, am I right?"

"Well, yes I think that is why we are here. Sinbad asked us to look for a woman named Shanna and we thought that maybe you knew her. He didn't explain to us why we needed to find her, but we guessed it was because of Bryn," Firouz explained. If Caipra didn't know, there was no way they could find her! Basra was a big city and she could be anywhere…It could take them months to find her and they didn't have that much time on their hands.

"Shanna…Shanna…" Caipra repeated, slowly rolling the name on her tongue. She knew she had heard that name somewhere…but where? She frowned. She tried to remember, searched her memory for the name. She was ready to give up when suddenly. She smiled. "Yes, I've heard of her. She has a great knowledge of Death.She lives not far from here. Look for a bookshop just down the street; she lives above it."

Doubar sighed in relief. "Thank you. Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to us…" 

"But tell me before you leave…Why would you want to see her? She's mostly a necromancer. A sorceress who possesses magic wich involves death. Why do you need to consult her?" Caipra asked, curious and also worried. "Is there something you are not telling me, Doubar?"

Doubar opened wide eyes, surprised. "Dealing with death? Necromancer? Why did Sinbad want us to find her?" He looked at Caipra. "Sinbad simply asked us to find this woman. He didn't have the time to explain why, since he had…things to take care of. Maybe he thought she could help Bryn…"

Rongar shook his head. That didn't make sense. Bryn wasn't dead. Well…maybe her goodness was, but did Sinbad think this woman could resurrect the good part of her? He shrugged. Sometimes, he would never understand his Captain.

Mimicking Rongar, Caipra shook her head. "A necromancer couldn't help your friend. In fact, magic can't help her. So, I have no idea why he sent you to see her…"

~*~*~

The silence enveloping the small town was suddenly broken by the sound of a burst of flame. The silence then returned. But the atmosphere had changed. It was not as peaceful. 

Scratch tried to control his breath, but it was hard when all he could think of was those two…cowards! They will learn that no one makes fun of Scratch and survives. No one damages his body and lives. NO ONE.

He felt a fierce rage, such as he had never experienced before, building inside of him. That bitch was a betrayer. She had escaped this time, but he would get her soon. Very soon. Karpan was a fool to trust her. He was a fool to give her back her memories. She would have been easier to kill if she had still amnesia. And Sinbad…always had to be the hero. If it wasn't for him…Bryn would be dead and he would still have his hand. 

"Wait until I find you…You should enjoy the present moment because it will be the last you'll have!" He couldn't control the rage inside of him. He had to let it out. He looked around him. The town. Too peaceful. Too beautiful. Too…good. A smile formed on his lips as a huge flame appeared on his remaining hand. "Burn!" He threw the flame at the nearest house and watched excitedly as the flames devoured its wooden frame. He prepared to form another flame when a soft laugh could be heard. 

"Scratch."

He groaned when he heard his name, and slowly turned around. He tried to hide his surprise. "Well, well, well…if it isn't the great and the so very bad Rumina…"

Still laughing, Rumina walked closer to him. "You seem surprised to see me. I guess it's understandable, since I've been gone for so long." She crossed her arms on her chest and glanced at him. "My poor Scratch. You're in bad shape. And…you lost a hand? You poor thing!" 

He clenched his fit. "Watch your words, witch! I'm still more powerful than you are!" He gave her an arrogant look. 

Rumina laughed, but her eyes kept their cold state. "I've gained some power of my own since you last saw me. And every good magic user needs both his hands to cast powerful spells." She smirked. "What are you going to do, Scratchy? 

Scratch crossed his arms on his chest and smirked, ignoring her last comment. "Bryn is back."

"I know." Rumina's eyes darkened. "She's with Sinbad. It is a disgrace that she hangs out with that…captain!" She spit on the last word as if it was the worst insult. "I hate them both, but I hate him even more. Maybe I could trick her into killing him," Rumina whispered, more to herself than for Scratch.

Scratch only laughed at that. "You're even more stupid than I thought if you believe that your little plan will work. Bryn isn't stupid. She already killed Karpan and tried to kill me, which of course she'll never be able to do. She'll probably go after you when she knows you're here. Not that I care…"

"Don't underestimate her…or me as I matter of fact. She's very capable of ending your miserable life and I could always give her a hand…" Rumina smiled, a wicked plan forming in her head. "You don't know what I've been up to since our last…meeting."

Scratch just grunted. "Whatever. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a town to burn down."

Rumina shrugged and leaned against a nearby house. "Go ahead, I'm not stopping you. I think I'll watch the show."

~*~*~

Blink.

As she opened her eyes, Bryn could only feel a terrible headache. All was a blur around her and she couldn't remember where she was or what had happened. She tried to move, but her body wasn't obeying her. She waited impatiently, as her vision slowly returned to normal. She then focused…and froze. She was lying on the grass, her head resting on…Sinbad's lap. She could feel his fingers in her hair. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped to her feet, finally in control of her body, ignoring the pain in her head. She narrowed her eyes at Sinbad, her body shaking with anger. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" she snapped. Her hands wanted nothing more than to strangle him until he begged and pleaded, and…

"You fainted."

She felt angrier at his soft words. She really needed to destroy him before it was too late. Trying to stop herself from shaking, she clenched her fit. "What were you trying to do?"

Sinbad shrugged. "Nothing. You were the one trying to kill me and then, you just fainted."

Bryn froze a moment. Now she remembered. She was about to kill him when that…damn memory flashed in her mind. Again. Worst possible timing. She kept a blank expression, as she observed him in silence.

Sinbad frowned. "What happened? Why did you faint? Why didn't you kill me?"

Bryn ignored him. But it was a good question. What happened? Why was she having those...flashbacks now? To make her remember…how good and weak she used to be.

Sinbad walked closer to her when he saw that she wasn't answering. "Bryn…tell me."

Startled, she didn't move. He was so soft, so sweet…'Disgusting, Bryn. He is disgusting. Remember that,' the voice in her head chanted. Bryn could only nod slowly but her eyes were locked into his blue ones, hypnotized.

Sinbad suddenly stopped and looked at the smoke that was coming from the village. "Oh my…The village is burning!" Without another thought, he began to run.

And Bryn mechanically followed him.

Sinbad, with Bryn not far behind, arrived rapidly at the fiery village. The villagers were screaming and running away from the deadly red and searing flames. Sinbad immediately noticed Scratch in the middle of the town, looking at him, laughing. "A gift for you, Sinbad. I hope you'll enjoy!" He then vanished, his laugh echoingthroughout the town.

Ignoring the demon, Sinbad ran to help the remaining villagers to escape.

Bryn bit her lips. Why did she follow him? It's not like she wanted to help. Bryn silently groaned. Something was happening to her…and she hated it. Unmoving, she watched as Sinbad helped a little boy to escape his burning home.

Rumina, who was watching, grew furious with Sinbad's rescue efforts. Because of him, everyone survived. He had just ruined her day. Well, he was going to pay! She waited until he was near a house. She spotted burning ceiling beams threatening to collapse. Moving her finger, caused the planks to fly at Sinbad, crushing him under their weight.

Rumina smiled in satisfaction when she saw Sinbad, immobile under the planks. She then misted away. It wasn't that bad of a day after all

~*~*~

Lea wore a shocked expression on her face as she watched, through her magic pool, Sinbad getting hit by planks of wood. She then saw a woman disappearing, a wicked smile on her face. "Bitch!"

"Who are you calling a bitch?"

Lea blinked as Sinbad materialized in front of her. "You received a nasty hit on your head. If you're here, that means you're unconscious."

Sinbad frowned, confused. "What hit me on the head?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Lea mumbled.

Sinbad shrugged. He wasn't going to get anything more from her. He went to sit next to her. "Where's Maeve?"

"Don't know. She said she had business to take care of…No idea what she was talking about." She then glanced at him. "How are things going with Bryn?"

Sinbad sighed. "Not so good. I don't think I'll succeed in bringing her back to the good side. She doesn't let me get too close and she's determined to kill me now. The evil in her won," he said, cynically. 

Lea put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't talk like that! You can't give up hope. I believe you have the power to make her good again. You have to believe it too."

"I know, but it's getting harder and harder," Sinbad whispered. He felt the strength leaving him slowly, bit by bit. He couldn't win this fight. In the past, good always found a way to beat evil, but not this time. This time, he wouldn't be the last one to stand up alive. He would be the first to go down. He felt hope and faith fading away, leaving him helpless. Sinbad couldn't stand to see Bryn like this and he couldn't stand hearing her say she'd kill him. Even if it wasn't really her, it was still her voice speaking, her dark eyes looking at him…

Sinbad closed his eyes, wishing he could disappear this very instant, wishing he would never wake up. But no, he couldn't give up. He promised he'd bring Bryn back and he would. He might die trying, but never would he give up. Never. There had to be a way to reach out to her. Sinbad opened his eyes and looked at Lea. "She was going to kill me, but she fainted before she could hit me. And when she woke up, she looked…disoriented. The look in her eyes…"

Lea frowned. "She fainted? I wonder-" She stopped, lost in her thoughts. She then blinked. "Maybe it was her good side fighting, because it didn't want you to die." If Lea was right, it was a good thing. A very good thing. 

~*~*~

Shaking his head, Doubar paced around the room. "If Sinbad sent us here, it must be for a reason. Maybe he didn't know that woman couldn't help…I don't even know how he knew about her!"

Firouz nodded. "It just doesn't make any sense."

Caipra was about to answer, but she suddenly froze. "Something…"

Firouz, Doubar, Rongar and Caipra stood stunned as Maeve appeared to them, her image blurred.

"Maeve?" Firouz was the first one who recovered his ability to talk.

Maeve nodded. "I don't have much time. I'm still surprised it worked." She then glanced at the Nomad's crew and Caipra. It was good to see them again. She missed them so much. She felt so lonely where she was. "I cannot explain everything because my time is limited. You must find Shanna. Lea and I are stuck in a place that is not heaven and Shanna is the only one who can send us there. I don't think our sanity will survive must longer if we stay there. Please, we need your help. Sinbad promised us he would help."

"Lea," Doubar whispered, memories filling his mind. The innocent little girl who had been his brother's companion during his childhood. A girl who hadn't deserved to die so soon. She never had the chance to grow up, to see the world, to fulfill her dreams. 

He felt tears coming to his eyes, so he closed them. He remembered Sinbad's pain after she died. Sinbad had barely dealt with their parents' deaths that he had to deal with hers. Doubar wished he could have taken some of his pain away. It wasn't fair for a young boy like his brother to suffer so much, so young.

Pushing the tears away, he opened his eyes and looked at Maeve. He nodded. "Don't worry, lass. We'll help you. We'll find this woman, Shanna, and we'll help you. You and Lea deserve to be in heaven."

Firouz and Rongar nodded, agreeing with Doubar. 

Maeve could only smile, a feeling of sadness overwhelming her as she thought she would never see them again. Rongar, always silent, but still very present. His eyes were talking for him. Someone you could always count on. Firouz, probably the smartest person she ever met. He was as much into his inventions as she was into her magic. And Doubar, who always had been like a big brother to her. Never would she forget them. "Thank you."

Tbc…


	8. Battles and Confusions

Part Eight ~ Battles and Confusions 

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: Big thanks to Madelaine and Ruby for their wonderful beta-reading! ;) And thanks to those who are sending feedback! I love it! ;)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

****

Part Eight ~ Battles and Confusions 

I am bad. I am evil. Right? It feels so wrong. Confusion runs through me. I still feel the darkness in me, but it's fading away, slowly. I want it to stay. It comforts me. It gives me so much power, so much life. Does it? It makes me complete. Doesn't it? I don't know anymore. I'm not sure of anything anymore.

That's because of **him**. He's the confusion. He's the one making the darkness leave. I need to get rid of him. What he makes me feel is…good. And that's why he has to be eliminated. I tried to before;it didn't work. All those memories come flowing into my mind every time I try to destroy him. But I'm not giving up. Soon he'll be gone and the confusion will stop. Finally.

~*~*~

Sounds of birds reached his ears like a soft symphony, an orchestra lead by nature. A dream, he must be dreaming. But why was it so dark? Was it nightfall? Maybe.

Then, he felt the pain. His head hurt. He felt like someone was hitting his head with a hammer every five seconds. What kind of dream was that? He decided to wake up from this now unpleasant dream.

His eyes refused to open. Or maybe he was now blind? Sinbad tried to move, but his body refused to obey him. Blind and paralyzed?

Sinbad tried to remain calm. He concentrated on his surroundings. No sounds, just a peaceful atmosphere. He was about to drift back into unconsciousness when he felt something kicking him in his side. He groaned.

No, this wasn't a dream. He knew that voice. His eyes glanced toward the direction of the voice. At first, all he saw was a blur, but soon his eyes returned to normal. Bryn. She was standing near him, arms crossed on her chest, an angry look in her eyes, mixed with impatience and…something else he couldn't define. Shrugging, he painfully got up on his feet, one hand on his side that Bryn hadkicked, the other resting on his forehead. "Did you haveto kick me so hard?"

"You didn't want to wake up. Lazy ass," she spitted. "I could have done so much worse. Consider yourself lucky."

Sinbad ignored her last remark. He just didn't felt lucky at all. "What happened? I remember saving that boy from his burning house and then…"

"Some debris fell on your head, knocking you unconscious," Bryn explained, a look of boredom on her face. "So weak," she mumbled, loud enough for Sinbad to hear.

"So how did I arrive here?" Sinbad asked, pointing to the small hill they were standing on. He could see the village in the distance, looking smaller than it was.

Bryn didn't answer. Inside, she wanted to kick herself for helping him. Helping him! What was she thinking? Her goal was to kill him, not to save him! 'This is all their fault! If they hadn't removed my memories, nothing like this wouldhavehappened. After I'm done with the sailor, I'm going to huntthem down and make them pay for making this body good!'

Anger boiled inside her. Directed at Sinbad. The good that still remained in her prevented her from killing him, and it filled her mind with those annoying flashbacks that left her confused and…

Bryn shook her head, refusing to think about it. She needed to get rid of the goodness withinher. And of course, it was still inside of her because of **him**. She couldn't kill him because she was stuck with a small part of goodness within her. That made her hatred for Sinbad stronger.

'Damn. Maybe I shouldn't have killed Karpan yet. He could have been useful to kill the dear captain.' 

Sinbad's voice brought her back to reality. "How did I arrive here?" she heard him ask again. She sighed. "I don't need to answer your questions. I should have let you lay there." 'Even better, I should have killed you while you were unconscious,' she thought.

"You must have a reason for not letting me **lay there**. It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

A reason? What was the reason she dragged him away from the burning town? A good question. No answers. Bryn **hated** when she didn't possess the answers. And when she hated something, anger consumed her. And the only person present at whom she could lash out was Sinbad.

"Maybe I didn't leave you there because I wanted the pleasure of killing you myself."

Sinbad decided to try another tactic. He wasn't sure it would work, but it was his last chance. "You're bluffing. You know as well as I do that you simply **can't** kill me."

Bryn stared at him, shocked. Then she became angry. And frustrated. It was true; for some reason, she wasn't able to kill him. And the fact that he told her that, even if he was just guessing, made her beyond angry. "You-you have some nerve…I can kill your little sorry ass in a blink of an eye. And you wouldn't be able to stop me. Only a man with an ego as big and endless as the sea would say something like that! People calling you their 'hero' went to your head more than you thought, dear captain! You think that I can't kill you because you're **so** irresistible? Is that what you think? You're so full of yourself! Just because half of the single women throw themselves at your feet, don't think that I'm going to do the same. Is that what you think I'd end up doing? Well, you are wrong, you are so wrong! And you-"

Sinbad noticed that Bryn was babbling, looking everywhere but at him. His eyes stopped at her mouth that went on talking, and without thinking further, he rapidly moved next to her, brought her headcloseto his and kissed her.

Bryn would have fallenon the ground with shock if Sinbad wasn't holding her waist with one of his hands. His other one, she felt, was resting on the base of her neck. He…was kissing her! She wanted to push him, hit him, make him stop, but she didn't have the courage to do so. The feelings that his kiss brought out in her made her feel like she was flying. It was so good…much better than the first time he kissed her good side. 

Sinbad sighed in relief as he felt Bryn relaxing slightly. He hadn't been sure what her reaction would be. She wasn't kissing him back, but he could feel that she was enjoying it.He brought her closer to him as his tongue entered her mouth and started exploring.

So good…it felt so good… Her knees weakened; everything around her started spinning. 'Good? It's not **good**, Bryn! Wake up and get control of your stupid hormones!' Startled by the voice in her head, Bryn suddenly came back to reality and finally understood that Sinbad, **Sinbad** was kissing her! With all the rage bottled within her rushing out at once, she pushed him to the ground, repulsed. 

She had been acting so weak. Watching Sinbad fall on the ground, she passed the back of her hand on her mouth, wiping away the memory of his kiss.

~*~*~

Caipra sighed and sat in her favorite chair near the window. Firouz, Doubar and Rongar just left to see Shanna. Seeing them so young made her feel older. She was still strong and healthy because of her magic, but her heart felt old and lonely. 'Ah, Dim Dim, my dear husband. I wish I could be angry with you for leaving me alone once more, but I can't. I only want you back, so we can live the years we have left together.'

Sighing again, Caipra slowly rose to her feet and looked at a painting of her husband on the wall. A small smile appeared in the corners of her mouth as she remembered how she managed to convince him to have his portrait painted. It took days and a lot of good arguments but in the end he reluctantly accepted. 

Good memories were all she had left now.

Her thoughts then went to Sinbad. Doubar didn't tell her much about his little brother, only that he was fighting to get a friend back. But she knew. She knew he was trying to bring Bryn back to the good side. If only he had consulted her before jumping head first into this crazy adventure without a plan. She would have warned him.

A discreet cough came to Caipra's ears and she turned around, surprised. "Maeve! I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't hear you." She smiled, happy to see the red-haired sorceress once again. 

"I'm sorry. I found a way to communicate with you again and since Lea and I were so bored…"

The little girl next to Maeve smiled shyly at her. "Hi."

Caipra nodded. "You were Sinbad's childhood friend." It wasn't a question, but a statement. "Doubar and his friends left a little while ago to meet Shanna."

"Do you think she'll be able to help us?" Lea asked the older woman, hope in her voice.

"I don't have the answer to your question my child. Maybe she can. Maybe she knows someone who could if she can't." She smiled reassuringly. "Let's wait for the boys to get back. To pass the time, tell me about this place where you are. I am curious."

Maeve sighed. "The sky is gray night and day. No sun, so stars, no clouds, no moon, nothing. The ground is brown everywhere. No grass. In some spots, there's a lone tree without leaves."

"It's so silent. A silence that makes you shiver with fear," Lea continued. "The times goes so slowly, but we don't grow old. I have no idea how long I've been in this place, but I can say it'sbeen at least a decade since Sinbad is now an adult. As for myself, I'm stuck in this little girl body forever."

"Since I arrived, I've met only two other people besides Lea," Maeve added. "So it's rare you see someone. I'm lucky Lea and I are together because, alone, boredom comes easily and there is no way out." She paused, seeing Caipra's eyes fill with sadness for them. "It's so big but, since it's the same everywhere, you get the impression that it's small."

"There is a cliff with a never-ending ocean," piped up Lea.. The water is black, so black! I think the cliff defines the place. We are surrounded by the ocean, but I never saw it before Maeve came. Beyond the sea, there's just emptiness."

Caipra sadly looked at the two girls…no, at their two images…She fervently hoped that Shanna could help them.

"We have to go. The connection is fading away," Maeve said. "It was nice talking with you."

"You two take care. Everything will be fine in the end," Caipra answered, waving her hand as they vanished. 'I hope.'

~*~*~ 

Shivering and still in shock, Bryn quickly glanced at Sinbad who was lying on the ground. He-he kissed her. He **kissed** her! How could he? For that, he needed to die slowly and very, very painfully.

She heard him groaning and she turned away from him, disgusted. She could still feel the soft touch of his lips on hers… and she hadn't even resisted! Worse, she had almost kissed him back. Thank Allah, she had pushed him away before she lost control of her senses. 'I'm going to have nightmares about this for a long time,' she thought bitterly.

How deliciously good it felt. How…right.

Bryn took her head in her hands and silently moaned. She had been so close to completely removing the goodness within her. And because of the dear captain, it grew back a little, taking a bit of the darkness away. She **had** to get rid of Sinbad before all the evil in her vanished. She could feel her good part struggling to take control again.

'I won't let you! Do you hear me? You're too weak…' Bryn screamed at the remaining piece ofgoodness within her. She turned back to face Sinbad who finally got up and was looking strangely at her.

'You die today.' She looked into Sinbad's blue eyes, anger flashing in her brown ones. "You had no right to do that."

Sinbad smiled at her. "You looked like you needed it."

"Needed it? I certainly didn't need **it**! You seem to forget that the Bryn you knew doesn't exist anymore."

"You know what? I don't believe you. You're still Bryn, just with your mind clouded with darkness. But you know what? I'm gonna make sure it'll go away," Sinbad told her, his blue eyes shining with determination.

"You're wasting your time! Don't you understand? It's never going to go away. The darkness has always been a part of her-me. She just didn't remember it because of her memory loss. Now that it's back, nothing can make the evil go away."

Sinbad clenched his fist. "You're wrong. You're still Bryn, the same one that I met on that island. You'll always be Bryn," he whispered.

If she stood there listening to his soft voice one more moment, she would go crazy! It needed to stop **now**. She discretely took the little knife hanging on her belt in her hand. Magic didn't work the last time she tried it, so maybe the good old methods would have some positive results. 

She jumped toward Sinbad, the knife directed at his heart. She was getting closer. She smirked. This time it would work. 

But as the knife was about to hit him, her hand opened up and it fell on the ground. Bryn observed it fall in slow motion. And then…

Flash.

~*~*~

Following the directions given to them by Caipra, Doubar, Firouz and Rongar soon found the right place. Located in the poor section of the town, it looked deserted and in ruin. 

"Are you sure it's the right place?" Doubar asked Firouz as he observed the building critically. "I've been to places like this one before and the stuff happening in them was probably illegal. Certainly not the kind of place to find help."

"It's the right place. Look, that's the bookstore Caipra told us about. Let's go."

While Firouz walked to the building, Doubar gave a little push to Rongar. "After you," he said as he made a little obeisance.

Rongar smiled and followed Firouz, slowing shaking his head; Doubar took up the rear. When they joined Firouz, he had already knocked on the door. There was no answer.

"There's no one. We better leave," Doubar declared, already moving.

"Wait, I think I heard something!" Firouz said. A moment later, the door was slowly opened. "Uh, hi! We're looking for Shanna," he called, not seeing anyone.

"Who are you?" a throaty voice asked.

"My name is Firouz and these are my friends, Doubar and Rongar, and-"

"What is your purpose here?"

"Purpose? We need Shanna's help."

"Really? Then how did you find this place?"

Doubar spoke before Firouz had the chance to answer. "Look, can we see Shanna, yes or no? We don't have a lot of time and I'd rather not spend it here, talking with a voice through an almost closed door! You could at least show yourself!" Doubar said, angrily.

"Doubar…" Firouz warned.

"Don't 'Doubar' me, Firouz! I say we go back to see Caipra. She'll know someone else to-"

"Caipra? You know Caipra? Why didn't you say so sooner?" The door was completely opened now. "Please come in!"

Rongar gave a friendly tap on Doubar's shoulder and entered.

"For once, I won't complain about you losing your temper," Firouz told him, an amused smile dancing on his lips. He then followed Rongar in.

Doubar shrugged and entered, closing the door behind him. At the sight of the room in front of him, his eyes widened. It looked like nothing he imagined from the outside. There were so many books. He never thought it was possible to have so many different books in one place. The carpet covering the floor was pale shades of blue and green, giving the room a calm atmosphere. There were dozens of candles lighting the room. And his nose detected a very good smell.

He saw that Firouz and Rongar looked as surprised as he. He then noticed movement in the corner of his eye and he almost gasped. A woman, Shanna he deduced, was standing near a bookcase observing them with a smile. She had long grayish hair wore in a simple ponytail. Her eyes were as dark as the night and her skin as pale as the snow. She was wearing a simple navy blue robe.

"A-are you Shanna?" Firouz asked when he found the capacity to talk again.

"Yes I am. I welcome you to my house. There is one rule: all you see and hear must never be revealed to anyone. Breaking this rule would be your death." She smiled. "I hope I did not scare you, but you had to be warned. Now, let us sit down and you will tell me why you need my help."

Firouz, Rongar and Doubar sat down at the table she pointed out to them. Firouz cleared his throat. "Two friends of oursare trapped in a place from which they cannot escape. All they want now is to be able to reach Heaven and for the sake of their memory, we want to help them."

"They are both good persons who don't deserve to spend eternity in a place like this one. If you can, please help them!" Doubar added.

Shanna slowly nodded her head. "Ah yes, they are trapped in the Plane of Spirits, a much deserted place."

"I don't like the name of that place," Doubar stated, shivering. It is unjust that Maeve and Lea are stuck there! "Does that mean you can help?"

"I know the spell and the ingredients required, yes. But I cannot do it."

Firouz jumped on his chair. "What? Why not?"

"It is a very powerful spell. I am both too old and not powerful enough to chant it."

Despair suddenly filled Rongar, Firouz and Doubar.

~*~*~

The little girl hid behind a bush. She could see a village not far away from her hiding place. For three days she had been walking in the forest, running as far away as possible from the two men she left behind, dead. So ashamed of herself, she didn't want other people to see her **--** scared that what had happened could happen again. She didn't want to kill people.

'Oh mommy, I miss you so much! What am I going to do?' No one would want to welcome a cursed little girl in their home. A child of the devil, they would call her.

She tried to look at the village without being seen. It was bigger than where she lived; a lot of people were outside, working, playing, walking. They all seemed happy. How she wanted to join them! But murderers weren't allowed to live with the rest of the world.

Sighing, the little girl turned around to leave but she bumped into something hard, sending her onto the ground. Frowning, she looked up and saw that a tall man stood in front of her observing her with his black eyes.

Scared, the girl backed away until her back touched the bush behind her. Wide eyes gleaming with fear, she waited for him to kick her, scream at her or kill her. But the man kept observing her silently, before kneeling in front of her.

"You are not from around here, are you? Are you lost?"

Little Bryn shook her head. "N-No. I-I come f-from V-Va-Varia," she managed to say.

The man frowned lightly. "Varia… That's far in the north. Surely, a young girl like yourself isn't traveling alone. Where are your parents?"

"My-my mommy told me to run away from our house," she told the man. Somewhere inside her, she had the feeling she shouldn't be telling those personal events to the man. She shouldn't trust him. But he didn't seem bad.

And you have nowhere to go," the man replied, a smile on his lips that gave Bryn the creeps. "Tell me, what is your name, child?"

"Bryn."

The man jumped, shock written on his face for a moment, but it was gone so soon that Bryn thought she imagined it. He couldn't know her; it was just her mind playing dirty tricks on her once again.

"And tell me…Bryn. You talked about your mother, but what about your father?"

Bryn shrugged. "He died when I was a baby." She wondered why he was asking her all those questions. She only hoped he wouldn't hurt her mommy!

The man got up on his feet, his smile reappearing on his lips. To Bryn's surprise, he held his hand out to her. "Would you like to live with us for awhile? A little girl shouldn't be on her own; we live in a dangerous world, my child."

Taking his hand gratefully, Bryn got up, surprised by the kind proposition. "You-you want me to live with you? Why?"

"I just can't let you stay here by yourself. I'd **never** forgive myself if something happened to you." Holding Bryn's tiny hand, he guided her to the village. "Come, I'll take you to my village and I'll show you your new home and, there, you'll meet your new sister."

Tbc…


	9. Reunions

DISCLAIMER: All AoS characters & images are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights

reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright

infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

A/N: Big thanks to Madelaine and Ruby for beta-reading this! And where's all my reviews? ;)

A/N #2: The italics are flashbacks. Not Bryn dreaming, real flashbacks.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shadows of Destiny

by Myst

****

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Part 9 ~ Reunions

Who am I now? I don't know. Am I still a little child, scared and alone? Am I that little girl? I don't know. I don't know anymore. I can't remember.

I'm so confused. What's real? I can't tell. I wish I could forget all those memories. I don't want to remember anymore. 

~*~*~

Back in the place she was almost used of seeing every day, Maeve sighed. She already missed Caipra. So much had changed since she was a student of Dim Dim, learning the art of magic. It seemed so far away, in another life. But **she** had changed most of all. The fire or revenge that once burned inside her had faded away. Her fierce temper had cooled down. And she would never have the chance to destroy Rumina and see her brother in his human form again.

Maeve missed him - mostly when Lea was fast asleep and she couldn't find rest. She had no one to talk to, like she used to talk to Dermott in the past. "Dermott," she whispered, eyes closed.

'Do not worry, sister. Everything will be fine.'

Startled, Maeve opened her eyes wide. Did she imagine her brother's voice? Did she miss him so much that she now heard his voice? 

'You're not dreaming, sis. It really is me.'

"But how is it possible? I'm not even alive…"

'But you are not completely dead either. Since you left, I've been trying and searching for a way to communicate with you and I finally succeeded.'

Maeve smiled at her brother's determination. "I'm so happy to hear your voice again! I missed you so much!"

'It's not the same without you, sis. I heard your conversation with Caipra and I don't like you being in that horrible place. You don't belong there.'

"At least, I'm not alone…But I'm worried about Lea. She's been complaining lately about how cold it is, but I don't feel it. I fear that she's going to fade away right before my eyes, like we saw happening to an old man some time ago. I'll go crazy all alone here if she disappears! And we've become friends, you know. She's very nice."

'Don't worry. Firouz, Doubar and Rongar are with Shanna right now and I'm sure she'll help you and Lea.'

"I hope you're right brother." Maeve brought her knees up and held them with her arms. She glanced at Lea who was shivering in her sleep. "I really hope you're right."

Dermott remained silent for a moment, understanding his sister's distress. He wished he could be there to comfort her because words could do little compared to a simple presence. 'There is something I'd like to know. What happened when you drowned?'

Maeve sighed. "I-I don't feel like talking about it. Please understand, it only brings back bad memories."

Dermott expected this answer from his sister, but he had to ask. 'I understand.' He was frustrated his sister had to go through so much because of him. If he hadn't been turned into a hawk, none of this would have happened. He was probably more to blame than Rumina.

"Lea and I followed some of your adventures by using our viewing pool. They are your only family now…They'll take good care of you."

Dermott chuckled. 'I'm the one who'll have to take care of them. They seem to invite danger wherever they go and, whatever they do, they always seem to be in trouble.'

Maeve smiled sadly. "That's true. And it's getting worse every time."

~*~*~

The world spun around her and she felt her head would explode. Controlling her ragged breathing, Bryn realized that she was still standing. So, she didn't faint this time. Good. Fainting was for the weak and helpless.

Bryn opened her eyes and the light of the sun blinded her for a moment. Her heart was racing, her head hurt and she was dizzy. Bryn felt sick. 'It's getting worse. I have to stop those damn memories from coming back. Who needs them!'

Her sight returning to normal, she saw Sinbad near her, his eyes full of concern. Disgusted, she took a step back. This was all his fault! Her eyes flashed angrily as she looked at him. If only she could…

But she couldn't.

Sinbad didn't understand what had just happened. One moment Bryn was ready to kill him with her knife and the next instant she had dropped the knife and froze, her eyes staring into the distance. Then her eyes had closed. He had tried to wake her up but she remained like a statue. So he had decided to wait.

And now she was looking at him angrily, but he saw how tired she looked and how pale her skin had become. He wanted to know what had happened to her and why it had happened just when she was about to hit him. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her everything would turn out fine. But she wouldn't let him. He had to keep his distance now and act as cold toward her as she was acting toward him. He could do that.

"Care to tell me why you suddenly froze?" he asked her, his voice neutral. 

Of course, he had to ask questions! Ignoring him wouldn't work. Bryn sighed. "That's none of your concern."

"Maybe I could help…" Sinbad proposed suddenly, forgetting the cold attitude.

Bryn's eyes flashed a moment. "I don't need your help!" she shouted. "I don't need the help of anybody. I'll reach my goals by myself. I shouldn't have listened to you in the first place!"

~*~*~

"I may not be able to cast the spell, but your friend Bryn could," Shanna said, when she saw the defeated faces of Doubar, Rongar and Firouz.

Firouz sighed. "But Bryn won't help us now, she isn't on our side anymore."

"Sinbad will find a way to bring her back," Doubar replied. He had faith in his brother. If anyone could do it, it would be Sinbad. "Maybe he has already succeeded."

"I cannot tell, but if you want the spell to work, it has to be done soon. The day the moon and the sun meet in the sky," Shanna explained. She took a book from the table and showed them the painting next to the ritual, where it showed the sun and moon at the same location in the sky. "That day is coming soon."

"Let's hope Sinbad did it," Firouz only said.

"You need to go back to your captain and sail to Eratia island. You must be there in two weeks. I will meet you there."

"It will takes us days to go back to the island where we left Sinbad, and-"

"I will teleport you to that island," Shanna gently interrupted Doubar.

"Can't you teleport us to Eratia?"

"I am afraid I cannot. There is a magical barrier around the island that protects it."

Rongar nodded in understanding. Shanna's plan sounded almost easy but he knew better. They needed Bryn and if she didn't want to help them, they wouldn't be able to help Maeve and Lea. 

"I will bring everything needed for the ritual; you bring Bryn," Shanna continued. "Now follow me."

She lead them into a small, dark room. Except for a circle of rocks in the middle of the room, it was empty. "Go inside the circle and hold hands."

"Wait! How are we supposed to find Sinbad? He could be anywhere on the island, even still in Karpan's castle," Firouz said.

"It isn't **Karpan**'s castle anymore, it's Bryn's," Doubar muttered under his breath.

"You will be transported to within a half mile radius of Sinbad's current position. I will also teleport your ship and the hawk. The ship will be in the same place it was when you went ashore. The hawk will be with you."

"Good."

"I will now begin. Close your eyes. Remain silent. And do not move." Shanna then began chanting words in a tongue unknown to them. Her delivery was fast but her hands raised slowly.

A strong wind from nowhere started blowing and in a flash of a lightning, they were gone.

Shanna sighed. "Good luck, friends."

~*~*~

A cold wind started to blow and Bryn crossed her arms. She needed to decide what she would do next. She had a world to conquer after all and goody sorcerers to destroy. What a busy schedule she had.

Sadly, she couldn't include Sinbad in her plans. Trying to kill him would only make her condition worse. She understood that now and knew he would never help her. She should have known from the start. It seems that the soft spot she had for Sinbad when she was good never completely went away.

'Soft spot? It was much more than a **soft spot**! You were crazy about the guy! How many nights did you dream about him sweeping you off your feet? You **loved** him Bryn. And you still do, even though your heart is now black.'

'Shut up!' Bryn ordered to the annoying voice in her head which was mocking her. 'What you say is a lie! I do not love Sinbad! I could never lower myself to love someone so good. I could never lower myself to love.'

'You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me. I know you. I **am** you. Look at him. His concern for you, it touches you, but you play the act of the annoyed bad girl. But it **is** just an act.'

Bryn resisted putting her hands on her ears. She could still hear the voice. Besides, Sinbad was still watching her. She had already embarrassed herself enough in front of him by fainting.

'So you do care, Bryn.'

If the voice had a body, Bryn would have killed it by now. Karpan was probably responsible for it. 'You're lucky to be dead, Karpan. So lucky…' Building up walls in her head to block out the voice, Bryn hoped that it would work for at least a couple of hours.

'Now back to my problems.' She then remembered overhearing a conversation between two villagers when she first arrived on the island with the Nomad's crew. They were talking about a certain sorcerer visiting his family in the village…

Bryn smiled and looked at Sinbad. "I've decided to let you live, but if our paths ever cross in the future, know that I will not hesitate to kill you. And don't try to stop me; evil **will** rule the world eventually; there's nothing you can do to stop us."

Sinbad frowned. Such a sudden change had occurred, he didn't understand where it came from. So his plan had failed; she wasn't trusting him anymore. He had lost his chance to bring her back; she was really gone now.

"I won't let you," he whispered without breaking eye contact. "You can't kill me, but I can kill you and if you try to destroy this world, I **will** stop you."

Bryn laughed softly. "You can't kill me. You won't be able to." She shook her head. "Such a waste. You should be on our side." Shrugging, she waved her hand. "Too bad! Well, it has been fun, but I must get back to business now. Go back to your ship and crew, find a nice little female to replace me and stay out of my way!"

In a flash, she was gone.

~*~*~

Bryn reappeared at the village entrance. "Where are you, white-magic caster?" Her eyes alit on a small house near the inn. She could feel his power. "There you are!"

She walked toward the house but suddenly her senses went on alert. Rapidly, she turned around and was stunned for a moment. But she recovered quickly from the shock and her eyes hardened. "What a surprise."

The other figure leaning against a wall laughed. "Not happy to see me? I'm sad. I was looking forward so much to our meeting. It has been way too long, sister. Way too long."

~*~*~

Rongar was the first one to open his eyes. He recognized the island immediately; It had a particular smell that tickled his nose. He tapped Doubar's shoulder.

"Huh?" Doubar snapped his eyes open. "We're not in Shanna's house anymore," he observed.

"This is very interesting. I didn't feel anything while we were being transported…One moment we were in Basra and the next, we're here. Amazing. Maybe I could build a machine that does the same thing. It would be a discovery people would talk about for centuries. I need to figure out how-"

"Firouz please! This isn't the time to think about inventing a new thing. We have to search for Sinbad."

Rongar pointed at Dermott who flew off, looking back to see if they were following.

"I think Dermott knows the way," Doubar declared.

They followed him for awhile before they came upon Sinbad.

"Sinbad!" Doubar cried happily, running to his brother.

Startled, Sinbad turned around to see his brother, Firouz and Rongar running toward him, led by Dermott who settled on a nearby tree.

Not giving his brother a chance to speak, Doubar gave him a big hug. "I'm so relieved to see that you're fine."

"Of course I'm fine. You worry too much," Sinbad gently reprimanded him. He glanced at Firouz and Rongar. "Did you see Shanna? Can she help Maeve and Lea?"

"We saw her," Firouz replied. "A very nice lady. And she knows the spell that will help Maeve and Lea. But she isn't powerful enough to cast it."

"Damn. Does she know anyone who can?" Sinbad asked urgently.

Firouz slowly nodded. "Bryn."

"Please tell us she's back, that she isn't evil anymore," Doubar pleaded.

Sinbad sighed heavily. "I could tell you that, but I would be lying. I failed. I was so sure I could change Bryn back, I almost thought I did it." He turned away from his friends. "There's…something in her eyes…like an ongoing battle for control and…" He faced them again, a small smile on his lips. "I'm probably imagining it."

~*~*~

__

Amazed, Bryn looked at the man's house. She never saw a house so big before! And it was so beautiful!

"You like it?"

Bryn nodded energetically. "It's so beautiful!"

The man smiled. "Come now. There is someone you have to meet." He led her to a library containing books, small bottles with colorful liquids and tons of boxes. There was a table in the middle of the room.

Bryn immediately noticed a small girl around her age sitting on a chair, reading a book. She got up as soon as the man entered in the room.

"You're back, father!" The little girl said, her brown eyes shining with happiness.

"Have you been working hard like I asked you?"

The girl nodded. "Yes I did. You will not be disappointed in me, father!"

"Good! I'm sure I won't." Putting his hands on Bryn's shoulders, he pushed her gently forward. 

"Who's she?"

"Rumina honey, this is Bryn. She's going to live with us now."

Bryn didn't like the look Rumina gave her. She didn't seem happy about the situation. Not happy at all.

~*~*~

"Not long enough," Bryn answered, glancing at her sister. She forgot how alike they looked. Same eyes, same hair. Bryn had always been taller than her and that annoyed Rumina, especially when they reached their teenage years.

"I heard that you're back to your old self. I must admit that I was beyond shocked when I heard that my own sister was traveling with Sinbad!"

"It's crazy the things you do when you're good," Bryn answered dryly.

Rumina walked closer to her and smirked. "But thanks to Karpan, no more good Bryn. I never thought you had the guts to kill him. After all, he had the intention of killing you in the first place."

Bryn narrowed her eyes. "How can you know about that?"

"Dear sister, there's not much that I don't know about." She walked back to the wall she had been leaning against and Bryn followed her. "Thinking that Sinbad would help you was foolish and stupid. His only goal was to destroy the evil within you. Look at you now, you're on your way back to being good."

Bryn eyed her sister angrily. "I am not going there. Who the hell do you think you are? You think you know everything? Well guess what, you don't!"

Rumina laughed. "Sis, I know everything about you. We're linked, don't forget it."

"Stupid link," Bryn grumbled.

"I was the one saying that when we were younger, remember? You thought it was **cute**. Anyway, that's not what I am here to talk about. Sinbad is what I want to talk about."

"I have no interest in discussing him with you."

"You don't have the choice. You can't kill him."

"It's not like I didn't try! Each time, I get those…flashes. They are getting worse and they're making me sick."

"Dear Karpan messed up badly. He never had the power to give you back your memories fully. He was a fool and he paid the price. But we do have to do something about those flashes."

Bryn laughed angrily. "I'll take care of that myself, you stay out of this. Why do you care anyway? You should be happy about this!"

"Because you and I together, we'd be unstoppable. This is what our father always wanted. And we shall honor his wishes."

Bryn refused to answer, but Rumina didn't care. "Sinbad must die to end those flashes you have. The problem is, you can't kill him. And neither can I."

Startled, Bryn faced her sister. "Why not? You chased him a whole year to kill him!"

"And I never succeeded. Of course, that stupid wench was always in my way! But once you look in his eyes, you can't kill him. Doesn't matter how hard you try. You can hate him, but you won't be able to end his life."

TBC…


	10. Confrontations

**DISCLAIMER**: All AoS characters are the property of Atlantis & All-American TV, all rights reserved and so on. They are used entirely without permission, do not belong to me, and no copyright infringement is in any way intended or desired. 

**A/N**: Well… that surely was about time. I don't think making excuses will change anything to the fact that it took me so damn long to post this chapter. I'm very sorry about it. I know how frustrating it can be and I understand if you gave up on this story. But if you're still there, thank you. Believe or not, it's been really helpful to have so many of you asking me to write soon if it doesn't seem like it is. But anyway, I'll stop rambling here. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ;) I promise not to take as much time to write the next one. Smile everyone, only two chapters left! 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
Shadows of Destiny  
by Myst  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  


**Part Ten ~ Confrontations**

I can't kill him. Some part of me is happy, some part is angry. What will happen? Which side of me will win? Can one win? Or am I stuck with the good **and** the evil forever? I don't know anymore which side is better. Or which side is real. 

Rumina…She's confusing everything. You should love your sister. But do I love her? Or do I hate her so much I want her dead? 

~*~*~ 

"Look, little brother, I think it's Bryn over there," Doubar said, pointing over the two persons standing on the hill in front of them, a few feet ahead. They had been searching for her for the last hour or so. They feared she might have left the island, but it seemed she didn't. "But who's with her?" 

Firouz looked with his magnascope. "Definitively Bryn," he confirmed. He frowned when he recognized the person with her "With Rumina." 

Sinbad clenched his fists. "Rumina? It can't be good. We better hurry." 

Doubar grabbed his arm as he passed in front of him. "You mean, you want to interfere between two powerful witches?" He shook his head. "That's not a good idea." 

"They don't seem to be fighting. Just talking," Firouz observed. 

"Exactly. Don't you think it's strange to see them talking to each other?" Sinbad asked, freeing his arm from Doubar's grip. "They don't even know each other. And whenever Rumina is involved, nothing good can come out of it." 

Rongar nodded. He told Firouz by signs that they didn't meet Rumina since Bryn joined the Nomad's crew. As far as he knew, Rumina didn't know Bryn. 

"That's true…I wonder where she was all that time?" 

"Let's find out," Sinbad said as he walked toward Rumina and Bryn. Rongar, Firouz and Doubar soon followed, even though Doubar still thought it wasn't a good idea. He wasn't in any hurry to meet with Rumina again. 

When they arrived close to them - too close for Doubar's taste - they noticed that Bryn and Rumina seemed to be waiting for them. 

Rumina welcomed them with a smile that was everything but friendly as she took a step forward. Bryn remained behind, her face expressionless. "Well, well. If it isn't the little family of the Nomad. Without the wench of course." She spitted the words out, her smile leaving her face at the thought of the red-head. "It's been awhile." 

"Got ashamed of your defeat against us at our last meeting and ran away?" Doubar asked, a touch of anger in his voice. 

Rumina started to laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. I had…other things to do, like getting more powerful. But I don't think you came here to ask where and what I was doing during the previous year." She turned to look at Bryn who hasn't moved since Sinbad and the others arrived. Smiling, she turned back to Sinbad. "The Bryn that you once knew is gone forever. She never really existed. Just the creation of memory loss. The sooner you'll accept it, the better." 

"Bryn is a good person," Sinbad defended. 

Rumina shrugged. "Because she couldn't remember anything. You sound like you're trying to convince yourself more than me." 

"You're talking about something you don't understand. You don't even know Bryn," Sinbad told her, starting to feel angry. 

Rumina laughed, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. She walked back to Bryn and stood next to her. "I've known Bryn longer than you have, dear Sinbad. We are, after all, sisters." 

Shocked at first, Firouz slowly nodded. "I can see the physical resemblance now that I see them next to each other." 

Sinbad couldn't speak. Even if he could, he wouldn't know what to say. Firouz was right. They did look a lot alike. He never realized before, probably because Bryn was so different from Rumina. He looked in Bryn's eyes. She acted more like Rumina now. What Rumina said, could it be true? He didn't want to believe it. No, not yet. 

"Not only are we sisters," Rumina continued, a little smile playing on her lips. "But we're also twins. Linked." She glanced at Sinbad, her eyes hard. "How do you feel, dear Sinbad, knowing you killed Bryn's daddy?" She turned to Bryn. "Because he's the one who killed daddy, you know. Cut his head with his sword." 

When Bryn's eyes remained expressionless, Rumina shrugged. She had been in the company of Sinbad and his little crew long enough for one day. "It's time for me to leave now." She faced Sinbad. "You better watch your back, Sinbad dear, because Scratch doesn't give up easily." She winked at him before waving her hand. 

And she was gone. 

Doubar let out the breath he had been holding. He felt better now that Rumina left. His eyes moved to Bryn. She was Rumina's sister. Turok's daughter. They used to know nothing about her past and now, they found pieces of it. Doubar wasn't sure he wanted to know the rest. In fact, he would have rather not known at all. He hated to admit it, but Rumina might have been right. They didn't know the real Bryn. Still, he felt the same friendship for the woman standing in front of them. 

He glanced at his brother. Would he feel guilty because he killed Bryn's father? And what would she do? Would she want revenge? 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Sinbad talked. "Will you help us?" 

Bryn stared at him, her eyes as blank as before. "Help you?" 

"Two friends are locked in some dimension and we were told you are the only one who can free them," Sinbad explained softly. Everything Rumina said…he would think about it later. What mattered now were Maeve and Lea. 

"Why would I help you? I'd get nothing from it," Bryn said, still unmoving. "I don't help people. When will you understand it?" She then turned away. "Now go away before I get angry." 

~*~*~ 

Maeve let out a frustrated sigh and sat up. She had been lying on the ground for an hour or two, wondering what was happening in the other world. Lea was watching, thanks to their small pool, but Maeve had refused to join her. Now, she started to regret it. 

She was bored. 

Maeve glanced at Lea, a few feet away from where she was currently sitting and tried to read the expression on her face, but even after all that time, she still couldn't do it. Lea's eyes were fixed on the pool, completely taken by what she saw. 

She still complained from time to time that she felt cold. That bothered Maeve. She didn't feel the cold, why did Lea felt it? Something was wrong, but she didn't know what. Her brain had been trying to find the reason, but nothing made sense. 

Lea kept telling her not to worry about it, but Maeve wasn't fooled. She kept a watchful eye on her, just in case. 

Like Lea was keeping an eye on the pool… 

Finally, Maeve couldn't resist anymore and she walked toward her. She took a look at the pool, but she only saw the image of Bryn, her back turned, so she couldn't see her face. 

"Something happened?" 

Lea slowly moved her eyes away from the pool to look at Maeve. "Rumina was there a moment ago," she finally said, carefully. Maeve had told her about Rumina and what all she did. Lea wasn't sure how she would react to those news. 

Maeve narrowed her eyes and felt the anger building in her. Rumina. The name only brought the strongest reactions from her. Never she had hated a person in her life as much as she hated Rumina. What she did to her village…to her brother…unforgivable. But she had had revenge to make her to go on. 

Not anymore. 

She clenched her fists and took a deep breath to control her temper. When she felt calmer, she spoke. "What did she want?" 

Lea hesitated. "She…didn't say much to Sinbad and the others, but it seems that…she said that Bryn and her are…sisters." 

Maeve blinked. Lea's words took some time before she registered them. Bryn and Rumina. Sisters? She frowned. "When Rumina gets mix in something, it's never a good sign. She's up to something, she always is." She stopped, chewing on her lower lip, lost in her thoughts. 

Rumina and Bryn. Bryn and Rumina. Sisters. 

Lea sighed and turned away from the pool. With Rumina back in the picture, she was sure Sinbad had less chances to convince Bryn to help them. And what about Bryn? How did she feel about Rumina? Were they close? Would they team up? 

What would happen now? 

She felt frustrated, unable to do anything. She kicked a small rock. She hated feeling so helpless. She **wanted** to help. But she couldn't. She couldn't do anything. 

"Do not feel so frustrated, child." 

Both Lea and Maeve jumped at the sound of the new voice. The image of an older woman stood in front of them. A woman neither of them ever knew, but still, she was familiar to them. After all, they **had** ask Sinbad to find her…Shanna. 

"How…how can you…" 

Shanna smiled. "It is among my ability to travel from different dimensions. Of course, it is not my real body, just an image." She looked at them both. "I wanted to meet you before the ritual, which will free you from this Plane, that will take place in two weeks." 

"If Bryn agrees to help," Maeve pointed. 

Lea nodded. "Why would she help us? She doesn't know us and she isn't on Sinbad's side anymore." 

"That is true yes, but right now, she is confused more than anything else," Shanna answered. "There is an ongoing battle inside her, a very important one." Shanna sighed. "I will try to talk to her. Maybe I could convince her to help you." 

Maeve smiled weakly. "Thank you. Lea and I appreciate everything you and Sinbad are doing for us." 

Shanna bowed her head slightly. "It is nothing. I would not wish for anyone to be stuck in this plane forever. Before I leave, let me ask you a question. How did you know about me? Because I think you were the one who asked your friends to seek me, no?" 

"That right," Maeve answered. "I heard about you from Dim Dim…I learned everything I know about magic from him…He was a great sorcerer…" 

Shanna nodded. "I heard of him. A great figure among us. You are lucky to have studied with him. Not many get this chance." 

"I know." 

"I must take my leave now. Try not to worry and have faith in your friends." 

Her image disappeared on those words, leaving Maeve and Lea alone again. 

~*~*~ 

They still stood behind her, Bryn could feel them. They didn't went away, like she asked them. 'Arrogant fools. I have waited too long to get rid of them. They think me weak, unable to slaughter them. They stand in my way. Now. Now more than ever I need to destroy them once and for all.' 

She turned to face the Nomad crew. 

And memories flashed in her mind. Memories of a ship, of a crew, of friends, adventures, monsters, victories, defeat. Memories of happy moments, surrounded by those friends, almost as close as family. Memories of a kiss…only one kiss, but so beautiful, so passionate…Memories of herself… 

Bryn tried to keep her face blank as the memories overwhelmed her. She finally blocked them, emptying her mind. She had grown to hate those memories flash. They always came to her at the worst possible time and she didn't need them. Didn't want them. She would need to find a way to block them completely before they could drive her past the point of insanity. 

But before she could snap at the Nomad crew, a woman appeared on the hill, near Sinbad. Bryn narrowed her eyes at her. Powerful sorceress, no doubt. Bryn could feel her powers. 

"Hello. You must be Bryn," the woman said, speaking to Bryn. "And you must be Sinbad. I'm Shanna." 

Doubar was surprised to see Shanna. Why was she here? When he, Firouz and Rongar spoke to her, she told them she would join them at Eratia for the ritual. He thought they wouldn't see her until then. 

"I came to try to convince you to help Sinbad," she explained, answering Doubar's silent question. "But there is more to it than helping Maeve and Lea from the Plane of Spirits." 

Bryn crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for Shanna to continue, a look or boredom on her face. 

"This ritual could be the key to the answers you seek." Shanna raised her hand before Bryn could speak. "I am aware of the…situation you are currently going through. You will see more clearly if you perform the ritual." 

Suspicion flashed in Bryn's eyes. "Is that a trick to get me to do it?" 

"No, I would never trick you, Bryn," Shanna answered, a sad look passing in her eyes. But it was gone the next moment. "The ritual can help you complete the holes in your memories." 

Really? Could she trust her not to lie? No. Was it worth to try, if it could give her answers? Probably. Even if it meant helping Sinbad? She didn't want to spend more time in his company. And she certainly didn't want to do anything to help me. But if it could help her at the end… 

"If I find out you are lying, do no doubt that I will kill you," Bryn stated to Shanna as her answer. 

Shanna nodded. "I know. You made the right decision." 

Bryn ignored her and her eyes moved to Sinbad. "Do not think I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this for myself." 

Sinbad only nodded. He didn't care what she said, she had agreed to help them and that was what mattered. Maeve and Lea would finally be free from their prison. Then, he would concentrate on Bryn. He didn't care she said she wasn't the same anymore. He would bring the old Bryn back, even if it was the last thing he did. 

"Would you like to do the trip to Eratia with us?" Doubar asked Shanna. 

"That's very kind of you. I'd be honored to travel on board of the Nomad," she answered with a smile. "Tell me when you will depart and I'll be there with everything needed for the ritual." 

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," Sinbad told her. 

Shanna nodded and glanced at the people she would travel with. She decided it was going to be a very interesting trip. 

~*~*~ 

The ship left the port a little after the rising of the sun and set sails on a calm sea toward the Island of Eratia, a strong wind fastening the pace of the ship. 

Sinbad was at the tiller, Doubar at his side. A few crewmembers were on the deck, occupied with different tasks, but there were no one else. Except Shanna. She stood at the other side of the ship, inhaling the ocean scent. 

"It's good to be back on the sea," Sinbad said, breaking the silence between the two brothers. 

"Aye," Doubar replied absently. Yes, his brother seemed happy to be back on the Nomad, but there was something in his eyes…sadness? He couldn't tell. Reading his brother's moods had never been an easy thing to do, even when they had been young. 

He sighed. "About Bryn and Rumina being twins…how do you feel about that?" 

Sinbad glanced at his brother, surprised it had taken him so long to ask the question. "I'm not sure," he answer after a moment of silence. "It explains a lot of things. Turok being her father must mean she probably had a hard childhood. It also explains where her magic comes from." 

"But?" 

"But," Sinbad continued, sighing. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to bring her back now that Rumina's back in the picture. Maybe they were right all along and I was wrong…" 

"You can't give up now, little brother. She's helping us, it's already some sort of a start, even if it's not really to help us she's doing it. And…even if it's true that the old Bryn is never coming back, the new one is still Bryn in my eyes. She not totally evil, not toward us. She could have killed us numerous of times, but she didn't. **Something** held her back and it's that something that we have to work on." 

Sinbad smiled at his brother's passionate speech. But maybe he was right. And Sinbad was going to do exactly that. 

~*~*~ 

Bryn stood in her old cabin, glancing around. She wasn't happy to be there. Too many memories she wanted to forget. 

'You're helping Sinbad. You're helping **him**.' 

Yes indirectly, she was helping him. She didn't need the annoying voice to tell her that. 

'Disgustingly weak.' 

Yes, she also knew that. But to find answers…this small sacrifice was necessary. 

'So you say. There **are** other ways. Always are.' 

Maybe, but that didn't matter. This was the fastest way. She didn't want to lose anymore time. 

She tapped her foot on the cabin's floor, wondering how to pass time. Join Sinbad and his little friends on deck wasn't an option she ever wanted to consider. Neither did she want to meet with Shanna. The woman…there was something about her that Bryn didn't like at all. 

She suddenly felt a presence behind her and she was almost shock to find Scratch. Almost. She wasn't surprised he managed to appear on board of the Nomad. She wasn't even surprised he paid her a little visit. But she didn't except it so soon. 

"Scratch." 

"Bryn," the demon mocked. 

Bryn let a long suffering sigh out. "What do you want now? I hope you gave up this little idea of yours that we should be allies. My answer remains the same." 

Scratch waves his hand in dismissal. "Forget that, it's all in the past. No, I came here with a proposal." 

"A proposal?" Bryn couldn't keep the doubt from her voice. 

"Hear me out. Surely you must know by now how much Karpan messed up when he gave you back your memory. The old fool wasn't powerful enough. But I am. I can correct Karpan's mistakes." 

"Really. And why would you do such a generous thing for me?" Bryn asked. 

"I know of your trouble getting rid of the sailor. By correcting Karpan's mistakes, that would not happen again. And I want him death as much as you do." 

Did everyone know about her problem killing Sinbad? Frustrated, she dug her fingernails in her palm. Pain always helped. Blasting Scratch wasn't the smartest thing to do right now. And if there was one thing Turok always taught her and Rumina, it was to think smart. "That's not what you said last time. Didn't you wanted him on your side?" Bryn inquired when she felt calmer. 

Scratch growled, showing his canines. He crossed his arms in a way that looked like posing to Bryn, making sure that she saw his handless arm. She rolled her eyes. "I get the message." 

He grinned. "Ah, Bryn. I knew there was a reason why I liked you so much. So? Do we have a deal?" 

"You still haven't told me why you don't kill Sinbad yourself if you want him dead so much," Bryn replied. 

"Let's see…if you're the one killing him, he won't defend himself as much as he would if it was me!" He let out a throaty laughter. 

Bryn frowned in annoyance. He was starting to lower her reserve of patience. "I don't do the dirty work of others. Not for anyone, certainly not for you. I thought we established that already." 

"But Bryn darling, I thought **you** wanted to kill him! I am merely offering you the chance to do so," Scratch retorted. He stopped posing and took a few steps forward. "I will enjoy seeing him suffer as he dies by your hand. Seeing the pain and agony in his eyes just before they close…You will enjoy it too. He makes you…weaker than you are." 

"Do. Not. Call. **Me**. Weak," Bryn said, in a low and dangerous voice. Her eyes gleamed, darkness filling her orbs as they fixed Scratch. Damn doing the smartest thing. 

The door suddenly flung open, startling Bryn and Scratch and Sinbad stepped in the room, followed by Shanna. Scratch's eyes widened as he saw the latter. 

"Bitch!" 

~*~*~ 

A fine rain fell upon the ruins of what once was Istole, a small village, South of Varia. It used to be beautiful and alive. It was now a devastated sight and lifeless. Not even animals nor monsters lived near. They stayed away. The aura surrounding the village scared them. And it should. Because something bad happened to that village, forever scarring it. 

And it still hung in the air. Even after all these years. 

Rumina stood at the entrance, unaffected by the rain. Meeting with both Sinbad **and** Bryn today had brought the need to come back here, to the village where she grew up. 

Where Bryn and she grew up. 

How did she feel about Bryn, she wasn't sure. When she had learn that Bryn was traveling with Sinbad, Rumina had been in a murderous mood. Her own sister, betraying their father's memory like that! Betraying what he taught them. Betraying **her**. 

But now that she was back to being evil Bryn, should she feel better, relieve? They had never been close, only their link stopped them from killing each other. There had been such competition between them that there had been no time for sister bonding, something Turok hadn't been happy about. 

_Work together and no one could stop you_. How many time did he told them that? They were just starting to do so when…when it happened. 

Rumina clenched her fists angrily, wishing the memories could go away. She didn't want to think about it. It was all in the past. She was another person now. Revenge was all she had left now. 

'But now there's Bryn…and the question of what to do with her still remains.' She couldn't kill her, that would mean her own death. She could ignore her, but Turok wouldn't want that. Even if he was dead, she needed to do what he wished. To make him proud. That had always been her ultimate goal. 

Even when he was dead, she **wanted** to make him proud. 

She hated herself because of it. 

Rumina abruptly turned her back on her childhood village and walked away without a glance back. She couldn't glance back now. Everything was ahead. 

The future. And answers. 

Tbc... 


End file.
